


Snare

by miss_faun



Series: Gilded [1]
Category: DCU
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Murder, Breastfeeding, Extremely Dubious Consent, Harm to Children, Intersex Omegas, Kidnapping, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Piercings, References to Canon, Stockholm Syndrome, Teen Pregnancy, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 05:31:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18162041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_faun/pseuds/miss_faun
Summary: Tim Drake is an omega, kidnapped and taken to be mated by a man he doesn't know and can't escape from.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I did my best to tag everything in this fic. Please, please tell me if there's anything I missed.
> 
> This fic starts when Tim is 13. If that bothers you, please click out now.

Tim was burning.

 

It was in his very core, the heat clawing up his chest, making his breath short. His thighs were suddenly slick and he was aching with need.

 

And the worst part was, it was the middle of the night in the middle of once again stalking Batman and Robin.

 

He knew what it was, knew that the scent of an omega in heat would give away his position at once. He wanted to run, to hide, but knew that the alphas had already scented him. He ducked down, curling up, hoping to keep his mind long enough to not just jump on whoever got to him first.

 

The scent of alpha above him intensified. Tim reached out, desperate, his control slipping.

 

But it wasn’t Batman who knelt above him.

 

“Poor little pup,” came a low female voice. “Who left you out here all alone?”

 

Tim whined, reached blindly toward her. Her scent was sharp, not exactly pleasant, but it still called to his instincts. She caught his arms and scooped him up, letting him bury his nose in her and breathe deep.

 

“You do smell so sweet,” she murmured. “I’d keep you for myself, but my father is looking for a new mate...and if I bring him one this sweet, I’ll have the upper hand.”

 

“Nyssa!”

 

Tim whined as the woman turned, snarling. He barely looked up as Batman leaped down, a low alpha growl rumbling from his throat.

 

“Too late, Batman,” the woman said. “You already have yours...this one is mine.”

 

Tim barely registered a batarang flying through the air as Nyssa launched a line and flew upwards, Tim still clutched in her other arm. He was too far gone by now to register the position he was in, too hot and wet and desperate to understand what was happening.

 

“I hope your heat lasts, little one,” Nyssa murmured. “Because once my father scents you, you won’t be leaving his bed again.”

 

*

 

Tim wasn’t even aware of how long they were travelling. He knew Nyssa laid him down at some point, leaving him writhing and whimpering, reaching out for her. Once or twice she returned and lay beside him, letting him breathe her alpha scent, but she did nothing else.

 

“Poor pup,” she murmured. “You want a knot so bad...but you must wait. I want you fresh and unclaimed for him.”

 

Tim whined more, scrabbling for her. She held his hands down, hovering over him.

 

“Please,” Tim gasped. “Hot…”

 

She relented then, and stripped him naked. Tim was relieved that his slick-soaked clothing was gone, even as Nyssa moved away from him. He barely noticed as his hands started moving by instinct, one wrapping around his small but very hard cock, the other sinking into his dripping cunt, three fingers at once.

 

“Oh, you are eager,” Nyssa said. “Don’t worry, pup. We’ll be there soon.”

 

Tim barely heard her, too busy trying to relieve some of the pressure. With how long he’d been holding on, it only took a few minutes before he came with a howl, spattering his chest white, more slick pouring from his pussy.

 

It didn’t help. If anything, he only grew hotter, more desperate to be filled properly. He reached for Nyssa, all but begging.

 

“Relax,” she said. “We’ve arrived.” She lifted Tim easily; he was still small, even for thirteen years old. She carried him out of what must have been some sort of helicopter and into a building that Tim could barely see through his haze.

 

He didn’t register anything else until he was suddenly surrounded by alpha scents. Tim opened his eyes, writhing, barely calmed by Nyssa’s touch and scent. He wasn’t sure where he was, only that it was a large room, with a lot of people around, all smelling like heaven. Tim cried out, reaching out for one of them, any of them, to help him.

 

There was a tall man on a platform above them all. He looked down, dark eyes sparkling. “And what have you brought me, daughter?”

 

“A gift, Father,” Nyssa said. “A new mate...fresh. Untouched, unclaimed...in the throes of his first heat.”

 

Tim looked at the man, desperate. His hands had already resumed their positions, chasing nothing but pleasure, even as the last sane part of his brain knew it wouldn’t help.

 

The man stood and stepped down, his cape flowing behind him. Tim whined, working his hands faster until the man was kneeling beside him. He took Tim’s wrists and pulled his hands away, ignoring Tim’s desperate cry. He pulled the hand that had been fingering Tim’s pussy close and licked each finger, sucking the slick off of them and making Tim whimper.

 

“Poor little omega,” the man whispered. He leaned down and scented Tim. “And so sweet...it was kind of Nyssa to bring you to me.”

 

Tim whined. This man smelled incredible--musk and spice and power. Tim pressed up, legs splayed in invitation, though he wasn’t conscious of spreading them.

 

The man reached down and undid his belt. There were shouts and jeers from the other alphas in the room as the man turned Tim over and pulled his hips up, forcing him to present for him. Tim didn’t mind--it felt right, natural, to be at the mercy of this alpha. He leaned his head on the floor, pressing back.

 

And then the heat spiked as he was filled, a large cock forcing its way inside. Tim cried out, in pleasure and slight pain. He couldn’t think as the man rocked into him, swift and merciless. Tim whined, pressing back into it, moving with the thrusts. He wasn’t even conscious of the other people watching him be taken on a stone floor, was barely aware of anything but the cock in his pussy and the hands on his slim hips.

 

The man leaned over and began to whisper to him. “You will be a wonderful mate...a perfect omega for me. Do you want that?”

 

Tim only whined. Words were too difficult, thinking was too much. All he knew was heat and pleasure.

 

“Good.” Tim felt the slight scrape of teeth on his neck. “Because you will be mine, bound to me for life.”

 

Something larger than the man’s cock was filling Tim now. It took Tim a moment to realize that the alpha’s knot was growing, locking them in place. Tim felt it pop inside and he came, harder than before, slick and cum gushing from him freely. And he didn’t stop, just kept orgasming over and over until he couldn’t think.

 

It was only when he felt the bite on his neck that he reached his full completion. He screamed out once more as the bite and lick tied him to the man behind him. Tim slumped in his new mate’s arms, exhausted and finally satisfied as he felt his mate fill him, his knot holding his seed inside as Tim finally lost consciousness.

 

*

 

Tim didn’t know where he was or how he had gotten there. All he knew was that he hurt in places he didn’t even know could hurt and that he felt disgusting.

 

He blinked awake and realized he was in a bed, a very large and soft bed, with silk sheets. After a moment, he realized he was naked and the aching was really confined to his cunt and a spot on his neck.

 

Cold dread flooded Tim’s stomach as he raised his hand to his neck. That was a mating bite, still fresh though no longer bleeding at least. Tim’s breath caught as he reached down to his sore entrance, afraid of what he would find.

 

He was at least outwardly clean, but when he reached inside he found that he was sticky inside, the evidence of his heat and apparent mating still evident when he pulled his fingers away.

 

Tim stared for a moment before the realization hit him and he had to roll over quickly. He found a basin had already been placed on the bedside table, which was lucky as he vomited into it at once.

 

As soon as he was done, the basin slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor, though Tim didn’t hear the crash as he started screaming.

 

He didn’t even stop when the door to the room opened and a heavyset, middle-aged beta woman hurried inside. “Oh, dear,” she murmured. She rushed to Tim and tried to push him back into the bed, though he was thrashing and screaming still, fighting to get away, to get out, away from this place, from whoever had done this to him.

 

Thirteen. He was only thirteen, too young to be touched, too young to be mated, Dad had always said he should wait until he was at least eighteen to mate with anyone, that mating too young could destroy him, that he wasn’t to let anyone near his vagina until he was good and ready to make a commitment…

 

The beta woman managed to force Tim to lie down, but she had to hold him, struggling with him until there were footsteps and an unforgettable scent washed over Tim.

 

“Stop.”

 

Without thought, without any sort of conscious effort, Tim went limp. The scent was overwhelming, intoxicating, powerful…

 

With a jolt Tim realized what it meant. He looked at the man standing in the doorway. Tall, wearing a cape with a high collar, dark hair and beard streaked with white. Tim stared at him and whimpered, both in submission and fear.

 

The man crossed the room, looking at the vomit and porcelain on the floor. “Clean this up,” he ordered. The beta woman let go of Tim and hurried to obey.

 

The man--Tim’s mate, this was his mate--stepped around the mess and sat on the edge of the bed. He and Tim stared at each other for a long moment.

 

“I do apologize,” the man said suddenly, his voice silky smooth. Tim shivered. “We weren’t properly introduced last night.”

 

Tim laughed hollowly. “You mean when you raped me? Yeah, didn’t really have time for any sort of get-to-know-you talk.”

 

“Now, now,” the man said. “I merely wanted to help...you were so desperate, begging for cock, to be taken...and who am I to turn down such a helpless omega?” He smiled at Tim. “Ra’s al-Ghul.”

 

Tim swallowed. He didn’t want to know this man, didn’t want to be tied to him. His gut was roiling again but he managed to keep it down.

 

He realized Ra’s was still staring at him so he swallowed again. “Timothy Drake,” he mumbled.

 

“Well, Timothy,” Ra’s said. “I do hope that once you’re over the shock, you’ll be happy here...I know it wasn’t the most ceremonious of matings, but the bond certainly took. And your next heat should be easier when it comes.”

 

Tim shrank away as Ra’s drew closer. “Please,” he whispered. “Not now…”

 

“Relax,” Ra’s said. “I have no ill designs. I simply want to make sure you aren’t still hurting.”

 

Tim swung out, his small fist connecting with Ra’s’ ribs. Ra’s fell sideways in shock, but recovered quickly. He growled and pounced, pinning Tim down. Tim struggled against him, the alpha’s breath hot on his face. Ra’s slapped him before he bit at Tim’s neck again, forcing him to go limp.

 

“I would not do that again,” Ra’s growled. “Now hold still.”

 

Ra’s ran his hands over Tim’s slim frame, checking for bruises or cuts. His fingertips lingered on the mating bite for a long moment, then moved back to hold Tim’s neck in place as his lips replaced them, kissing at the spot reverently.

 

“Mine,” Ra’s whispered.

 

Tim shivered again, but couldn’t push him away. Didn’t try to fight again as Ra’s moved his mouth up and captured Tim’s in a deep kiss.

 

Tim whined a bit, his hands moving to Ra’s’ chest, trying to push him off for a moment before he went limp again, his body telling his brain to obey, to take the comfort of his alpha.

 

Finally, Ra’s pulled back with a small smile. “There...it’s not so bad, is it?”

 

Tim turned and spat on the floor. “Fuck you,” he muttered.

 

“Oh, you will. Many times, as often as I want.” Ra’s sat back. “And when I don’t want, you will train...your body is strong, but not strong enough to bear healthy alpha sons. You will learn the ways of the assassins, and how to be a good mate to me...manners and charm and control. Don’t worry that any of my assassins will harm you--I have given strict orders that no other alpha is to be in the same room with you until your heats have balanced.”

 

“Balanced?”

 

Ra’s shook his head. “How much do you know about being an omega?”

 

Tim shrugged. “I know that heats happen and that I could have children...and that I’m mated.”

 

“Since you are still young and new to this, your heats will be fairly irregular for a while. They could be easily triggered by an alpha in rut--in time, your body will only respond to me, but I’d rather not confuse it. If you aren’t around other alphas, though, it could be months or even years before your next one. It’s best if it happens naturally, on your body’s time table...unless I’m in need of you before then.”

 

Tim nodded. “And do you expect me to...serve outside of my heat?” he asked.

 

“You will sleep beside me, and if I feel a need for you, I expect to be obeyed. Not only in that, but in all things. I own you, Timothy. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes,” Tim spat.

 

“Yes, what?”

 

“Yes...alpha.”

 

“Good.” Ra’s leaned over and kissed Tim again. “I’ll send food up for you...you should rest today. Last night was long for you and you’ll need to recover your strength.”

 

Tim nodded.

 

“There are clothes in the dresser for you, and some books if you grow bored. If you want anything else, ask Trina and she will bring it for you. I will return tonight.”

 

Tim nodded again, too numb to really object anymore. Any fight he might have had vanished from his body as he lay back down.

 

Ra’s ran a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead before the left Tim alone, caught in his thoughts.

 

He wouldn’t see his family again--even if he did, what could he tell them? That he had been abducted and raped and was now mated to...whatever Ra’s was? His father would throw a fit, and even if Ra’s was someone who could be arrested, which Tim got the impression he wasn’t, there was very little anyone would be able to do to break the bond. He wouldn’t get to see his friends again, wouldn’t be able to finish his case on Batman, wouldn’t ever be able to do the things a kid should do again.

 

He was grown now, mated, stained, claimed. The only escape he had was if Ra’s died, or he died, or…

 

A sob clawed up his chest, forced its way out, and the tears started, fast and hot and Tim didn’t even try to hide them, didn’t try to brush them away, even as the beta servant Trina re-entered with food.

 

She set it down on the bedside table and crossed the room to him. “There, now,” she said. “What’s the matter, love?”

 

Tim could only shake his head, sobbing and shaking as she very gently took him in her arms.

 

“I know it’s all sudden,” she said. “But the Master is...fair. Perhaps not kind, or gentle, but he won’t harm you...he’s always loved his mates, no matter how disappointing.”

 

“How many has he had?” Tim managed to gasp out.

 

“Oh, a fair few, I imagine,” Trina said. “But he’s immortal...I doubt even he remembers.”

 

Immortal. So there went the possibility of ever breaking this bond in his own lifetime. And Tim was just the last in a long line of mates…

 

“Are all of them this young?” he asked.

 

“You’re the youngest I’ve seen,” Trina said. “Though he usually likes to get them early on...form the bond quickly, try to get more children from them.”

 

“How many children?”

 

“Three still live...Lady Nyssa the only alpha among them, and not a man. He wants a strong alpha son. His grandson was born alpha, but he wants to be certain.”

 

Tim shuddered. “I can’t…”

 

“You must.” Trina pulled away. “And you will need your strength. Eat, and then sleep again...he won’t let you rest long.”

 

Tim nodded and accepted the tray, forcing the food past his tears. As soon as he was done, Trina took the tray away and Tim fell back, the vomiting and tears having exhausted him enough to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce walked down to the cave, his steps heavy.

 

Jason turned in his chair as Bruce sat down at the computer, shoulders slumped, head in his hands.

 

“What is it?” Jason asked.

 

Bruce tossed a newspaper at him. Jason picked it up and looked at the front page.

 

AMBER ALERT ISSUED FOR TIMOTHY DRAKE; POLICE HAVE NO LEADS.

 

Below the headline was a picture of a boy, about twelve years old, bright-eyed and dark-haired and very fair.

 

“That’s him,” Jason said. “That’s the boy Nyssa took!”

 

“I know.”

 

“So we can tell the police! Let his parents know…”

 

“Know what?” Bruce leaned back in his chair. “That he was snatched right out from under Batman’s nose and we didn’t stop her?”

 

“So we rescue him!”

 

“Even if I could get to him, it’s too late. He’ll be mated to Ra’s by now and taking him away would only hurt him more.”

 

“Maybe the bond didn’t take.” Jason looked desperate. “Maybe he rejected it.”

 

“If he rejected the bond, he’ll be dead.”

 

Jason slumped. “Is there any way to break a mating bond?” he asked desperately.

 

“Two that I know of,” Bruce said. “One way would be to kill Ra’s, and that’s…”

 

“Fucking impossible.”

 

“...yes.” It was a mark of how serious the situation was that Bruce didn’t chide him for his language. “The other way is if he were to form a strong bond with another alpha who could challenge Ra’s for dominance. If that alpha could get Ra’s to submit long enough, they could overpower and replace the mating bond.”

 

“So…”

 

“I’m already mated, Jason, even if my mate is gone for now.”

 

“I can go,” Jason said. 

 

“No.”

 

“Bruce, I could…”

 

“You may be able to form a bond, but you cannot challenge Ra’s. You’d barely have time to growl before he ripped you apart.”

 

“You just don’t want to do anything because then you’d have to admit your own guilt!”

 

Bruce glared at him. “That’s not it at all, the circumstances are completely different…”

 

“You did the same thing!”

 

“I didn’t kidnap him, and we didn’t mate until he was an adult. It was his choice...and I only agreed to it to protect him.”

 

“Protect him? By claiming him and keeping him tied to you even though he can’t stand you?”

 

“Yes. I claimed him so that all the other alphas who kept going after him would leave him alone. And if he ever wants me to release him, I will gladly submit to whoever he chooses.”

 

“You can justify it all you like. It doesn’t change what you did.”

 

Bruce growled. “Don’t test me, Jason.”

 

Jason kept glaring. “You don’t think I can challenge anyone, do you?”

 

Bruce lunged, knocking Jason off his chair to the floor. The struggle was very brief before Bruce had Jason pinned to the floor, face down with his wrists above his head. “You may be an alpha, but you’re still a pup. A mouthy, undisciplined pup who needs to learn about dominance.” His teeth were dangerously close to Jason’s neck.

 

Jason growled and tried to pull away. Bruce’s teeth closed on the scruff of his neck. “Submit,” he growled when he pulled away.

 

Jason nodded and Bruce let go of him. He stood and rubbed over the bite mark. “Point taken,” he said. “So what do we do about the Drake boy?”

 

Bruce sighed. “Like I said...there isn’t much we can do. If he’s very lucky, he’ll have rejected the bond and have died before Ra’s can harm him further. If not...his life is going to be miserable. Being mated that young means there’s very little chance he’ll ever be able to form a healthy bond with anyone else...and he’s highly unlikely to survive childbirth at this age.”

 

“So…”

 

“His life will likely be short and miserable...and we can’t save him.”

 

Jason swallowed and reached out. Bruce took him in his arms, holding him close and letting Jason scent him, comforting the boy as he cried.

 

*

 

Tim woke again as the door opened. He turned over and saw Ra’s coming in. It was too dark to see much, but he could tell the ridiculous cape was at least gone.

 

“Are you awake, beloved?”

 

Tim considered not answering, but realized it wouldn’t make much difference. “Yes,” he said.

 

Ra’s came to the bed, the shadow of a robe falling as he climbed up next to Tim. Tim tried not to flinch at the first kiss, tried not to pull away from the press of Ra’s’ hands on his body. He lay back, eyes closed, and allowed Ra’s to touch him, to move him. Tim felt his legs part and didn’t fight, didn’t respond at all, just let it happen.

 

He turned his face away as Ra’s started in on his neck, squeezing his eyes shut. He would blame the lingering vestiges of his heat for how quickly his body responded to Ra’s’ touch. He would blame the natural hormonal urges of his sex for how hot he grew when Ra’s forced his way back inside him. And he would blame the forced bond for how he lost all conscious thought as Ra’s kissed the mark on his neck, taking Tim back to wherever he had been last night. Mindless, with nothing taking up his mind or body but Ra’s and the pleasure of being fucked.

 

Tim didn’t know when it ended, but he did realize as soon as Ra’s got off of him how cold it was. He moved closer to his mate, uncertain if this would be allowed but wanting to seek warmth and comfort.

 

Ra’s didn’t push Tim away at least, so Tim pressed himself to his mate’s side, seeking his scent. It only took a moment to bury his face in Ra’s’ neck and breathe deep. Even if he didn’t want it, even though he consciously hated it, his body felt calmer with his mate’s scent so close.

 

Ra’s eventually took Tim in his arms, almost tenderly, holding him close to him. It wasn’t safe, but in that moment, Tim thought it might be the closest to safety he would ever get to have again.

 

*

 

Ra’s was gone when Tim woke late the next morning, sore and sweaty. Trina had already brought breakfast and run a bath, for which Tim was immensely grateful. He knew that he’d never be able to wash Ra’s’ scent off completely, but it was nice not to smell so overwhelmingly like his mate.

 

As soon as he was clean and dressed, Trina returned, a young dark-skinned beta male behind her. “The Master has ordered your training begin today,” Trina said.

 

Tim nodded; he had expected it after spending all yesterday laying about.

 

The young beta male stepped forward. “My name is Z,” he said. “The Master has ordered me to train you, at least to start.”

 

Tim nodded. “Pleased to meet you,” he said.

 

“Come,” Z said. He led Tim out of the bedroom and down a dizzying series of hallways and staircases. Tim filed each turn and step away in his memory, but he was still uncertain of their path by the time they arrived seemingly miles below where they started, in a large room with training matts on the floor and blunt weapons on the wall. Z went to the center of the room and turned back to Tim.

 

“My Master wants you trained in all areas of combat,” he said. “We will start with hand-to-hand, and then I will turn you over to the next teacher to learn about staffs, then swords and knives, and after that marksmanship.”

 

“Sounds sensible,” Tim said.

 

“Good.” Z took a defensive stance. “So show me what you’ve got and we’ll get started.”

 

Tim swallowed and lunged, much as he’d seen Robin do. It only took a second for Z to throw him down. Tim got up and tried to hit. Z blocked the punches easily and threw him again a moment later.

 

“You don’t know anything, do you?” Z asked, amusement in his voice.

 

“I...no,” Tim admitted. “I took a few karate classes as a kid, but…”

 

“Didn’t stick,” Z said. “Never does.” He stopped and helped Tim up. “Right...basics first. Stretches, then we start building your strength.”

 

*

 

Z finally released him late in the evening. He guided Tim back to the master bedroom--well, more like carried him. Tim was sore and exhausted, enough that he didn’t even protest when he saw Ra’s waiting for him at the small dining table in their quarters.

 

Z set Tim in the other chair. “All yours, boss,” he said.

 

“Thank you,” Ra’s said. “And how did he do?”

 

Z shrugged. “Pretty well. Kid’s all skin and bones, but he’s quick.”

 

“Good. You are dismissed.”

 

Z bowed and left the room. Ra’s poured Tim a glass of something red, which Tim downed without question.

 

“And how was the lesson?”

 

Tim took a breath before answering. “Challenging,” he said. “And tiring.”

 

“Good.” Ra’s smiled at him. “I want you to be stimulated.” He started serving food. “Eat, Timothy.”

 

Tim was too exhausted to argue. He ate whatever Ra’s put in front of him, drank whatever the red substance was, and hoped that Ra’s would just let him sleep tonight.

 

Once the meal was finished, Ra’s half-lifted Tim and guided him back to the bath. “Clean up,” he said. “And then straight to bed, I think. Tomorrow will also be long.”

 

Tim stayed in the bath as long as possible, letting the warm water soak some of the soreness from his muscles. He didn’t move until the water went cold, and then he quickly finished washing. He hesitated a moment on stepping out, but then realized that Ra’s had already seen everything.

 

He walked to the bed naked and crawled up, going to the other side of the bed before burrowing down as deep as possible. Ra’s joined him a few minutes later, seeking Tim out in the large bed.

 

“Please,” Tim muttered. “Not tonight.”

 

“No,” Ra’s said. “You are tired. I thought I might hold you, though.”

 

Tim groaned a bit. “You didn’t seem eager last night.”

 

“Forgive me,” Ra’s said. “It has been a long time since I last shared my bed. I had forgotten what it means to have an omega in my arms.”

 

Tim sighed but turned over to allow it. Ra’s pulled him in close again. Tim had to admit, it was nice to scent his mate as he fell asleep. He still hated this, but it was at least instinctively familiar.

 

*

 

The next several days passed in much the same fashion. Tim would wake, eat breakfast, and then train with Z until he was ready to drop. Z would take him home to eat dinner with Ra’s, and then sleep in his mate’s embrace until morning. Ra’s didn’t bring up the topic of sex again, thank God, though he had taken to dropping small kisses on Tim’s face and neck in the evenings. Tim tolerated it, though he didn’t reciprocate.

 

It did get easier as time went by. Tim was getting stronger and faster. After a long while--he stopped trying to count the days about two weeks in--he was able to walk back to his chambers alone and stay coherent through dinner.

 

Ra’s was pleased.

 

“You are improving, Timothy,” he said.

 

“Thank you,” Tim said.

 

“I am glad,” Ra’s said. “I would like to spend these evenings learning more about you.”

 

Tim sipped at the red substance--he was fairly sure it wasn’t wine, but he didn’t dare ask what it really was. “You’ve never shown much interest before now.”

 

“You haven’t been much for conversation until now. No matter--we have plenty of time.”

 

Tim shrugged a bit. “I don’t know what there is to tell.”

 

“Come now, Timothy, there must be things that interest you.”

 

“Mysteries,” Tim said after a moment. “I like mystery stories. And I was interested in computer programming, and science...I thought about being…” He stopped, the tears starting. All his dreams, all his interests...gone now.

 

Ra’s nodded. “A detective,” he said. “Nyssa said she found you while chasing Batman...you were also on his trail, weren’t you?”

 

Tim nodded, burning with shame. He had been so stupid, trying to sniff out Batman on his own where anyone could see him...it was really his own damn fault he was stuck in this situation…

 

Batman had seen him. Robin probably had too, he was never more than a few steps away. Batman would know he was in trouble, and there had probably been a report filed by now about his disappearance. That meant people were looking for him, Batman would know who he was and possibly even where. Batman could save him. Batman could still come for him.

 

Tim sniffed a bit. “Sorry,” he said. “I...I miss my home,” he said.

 

Ra’s reached out and took his hand. Tim pulled it away almost at once. “This is your home now, Timothy,” Ra’s said. “I can get you your detective novels and computers and anything else you desire. You’re safe here, and loved, and you don’t need to worry about anything back in Gotham.”

 

“My parents...they’re probably worried sick.”

 

“They did put out a notice that you are missing...it took them almost a week and very little has been done since then.”

 

“Someone will find me.”

 

“The police have searched every inch of Gotham and Bludhaven. They’ll find no traces.”

 

“Batman saw me.”

 

Ra’s laughed. “Yes, he did. And he knows who took you, and he knows he can’t challenge me. You are mine, Timothy, and no one will take you from me. And even if they did...you will come back.”

 

Tim shuddered but fell silent. He finished his meal and hurried off to bathe, wishing he could believe that someone would still come for him.

 

He joined Ra’s in bed as usual and quickly realized that he wasn’t going to sleep. Ra’s was on him at once, hands moving over Tim’s naked body, feeling the slight muscle that was starting to develop, his mouth following close behind. Tim closed his eyes and spread his legs and did his best not to flinch away as Ra’s touched him, kissed him, and finally took him, cock sliding in slowly but still too much. Tim whimpered as Ra’s moved in him, his teeth closing over the scar on Tim’s neck again.

 

Tim whined, submission overwhelming his body. He wasn’t participating, exactly, but he wasn’t resisting, either. He relaxed into Ra’s’ touch, raised his hips slightly to let his mate in, inclined his neck in clear submission to his alpha.

 

They remained tied together for a long time. Ra’s held Tim close, and Tim moved closer, nuzzling into his mate’s neck.

 

“You know your place, Timothy?” Ra’s whispered.

 

“Yes, alpha,” Tim whispered back. “I know my place.”


	3. Chapter 3

Z finished with him some days later. “Lady Talia will take it from here,” Z said.

 

Tim had learned enough by now to understand that sentence. “She’s the other daughter?”

 

“Yes,” Z said. “And a remarkable fighter.”

 

“She doesn’t seem to be happy about me...at least, she hasn’t come to see us.”

 

“She isn’t.” Z shook his head a bit. “She and Nyssa and Dusan are all in constant competition to win their father’s favor--he wants an alpha male heir and none of them fit that description. Talia was at an advantage for a while, since she has a young alpha son, but then Nyssa one-upped her by finding Ra’s a new mate.”

 

“So...if I have a son, I’ll push hers out of the way?”

 

“Exactly...and Nyssa will have won Ra’s’ favor by finding you.” Z gave Tim a small smile. “Be careful.” With that, he left the room.

 

Tim barely had time to process any of it before the door opened and a tall woman swept inside, a small pup following her. Tim nodded, unsure of what exactly their familial relationship was.

 

“So,” Talia said. “You’re the pup my father has taken to mate.”

 

“It wasn’t by my will,” Tim said.

 

“Perhaps not,” Talia said. “But you are still in a position of power.”

 

Tim blinked. “I don’t have any power over him.”

 

“You’re his omega,” Talia said. “You have every power over him. But that’s not why I’m here.” She sat down in the only chair in the room. “I am here to teach you the blade. Well...more here to supervise. Damian will be the one actually showing you.”

 

The pup stepped forward, anger simmering in his green eyes. Tim looked at him for a long moment. Something in his face was very familiar.

 

“Begin with the sword,” Talia called.

 

Tim went and fetched a wooden practice blade, feeling slightly insulted that he was being asked to fight a pup who couldn’t be more than half his age.

 

The humiliation faded when it began. Damian had no trouble hitting Tim, hard and without pause. Talia kept calling out directions and Tim could barely keep up, trying to focus on both her and his opponent.

 

She finally called an end to it when Damian knocked Tim down. She stood and walked over, shaking her head. “Clearly you need more help than I thought,” she said. “Get up, and let’s get to work.”

 

*

 

By the time Talia released Tim for the day, he was very bruised and his arms were aching. He stumbled back to his chambers alone and collapsed in his usual chair.

 

Ra’s arrived a few minutes later. “I see Talia didn’t hold back.”

 

“Talia didn’t do anything,” Tim said. “Her pup is vicious, though.”

 

“Damian has been well-trained,” Ra’s said. “I’ve been very pleased with him.”

 

Tim glanced at him. “Because he’s Batman’s son?”

 

“Very good, detective, though his skills come from his mother. Batman doesn’t know of the pup’s existence.” Ra’s took Tim’s hand and kissed the knuckles in reward. “And had you worked out Batman’s secret?”

 

“I was close,” Tim said. “And seeing Damian confirmed it...when did you know?”

 

“My dear, I have always known. I helped train him...shape him. For a while, I had thought to make him my heir, but he had a different path.”

 

“So instead you chose him to mate with Talia?”

 

“They are not mated, but yes. And I am pleased with Damian. However…”

 

“You’re hoping I’ll have a son,” Tim finished.

 

“I would be more confident if there was another heir,” Ra’s said.

 

Tim shifted slightly. “I...I don’t think Talia likes me,” he mumbled.

 

“You threaten her place in the pack,” Ra’s said. “She has been the omega for many years.”

 

“I don’t want to challenge her.”

 

“You don’t have to challenge her,” Ra’s said. “In fact, I strongly suggest you don’t try, at least not yet. I want you to be strong to bear my sons.”

 

Tim nodded, though the thought of having children made his gut roil. How could he think of having a pup when he was still barely more than a child himself? How could Ra’s think of making him do it when his body wasn’t even done growing yet?

 

At least his heat hadn’t returned yet. While Ra’s did fuck him at times, the chances of conceiving were very low. Maybe Tim would be lucky. Maybe his heats would hold off until he was older and more ready to have children. 

 

Maybe by the time he was pregnant, he would loathe his mate a little bit less.

 

Ra’s must have noticed Tim’s distress because he kissed his hand again. “Don’t worry, little one,” Ra’s said. “I won’t allow anyone to harm you. Not even my own daughter.”

 

“I know,” Tim whispered.

 

*

 

Tim tried to keep an eye on Talia over the next several weeks, though it was very difficult. She and Damian kept him very busy and exhausted, leaving Tim no room to see if she was going to challenge his place in the pack or give him the opportunity to challenge hers.

 

He was much more successful watching Damian. Oftentimes, Talia was either too busy or too disdainful to train Tim herself, so she sent the pup down to drill Tim incessantly. Damian spoke little, and when he did it was to berate Tim, but Tim felt a bit of a draw to the boy. If nothing else, Damian would allow rest now and then.

 

It was another day with Damian, Talia gone, and they had just finished another match. Tim was improving and had actually managed to disarm Damian for once. While Damian didn’t looked pleased, exactly, he did seem slightly less disdainful.

 

“Grandfather will be proud,” Damian said, offering Tim a bottle of water.

 

Tim sipped at it gratefully. “I don’t seek to impress him.”

 

“Why not?” It was the most childish thing Damian had ever said. “He is the pack alpha.”

 

“He’s already my mate,” Tim said. “And he’s more pleased by the arrangement than I am.”

 

Damian looked confused by this. “Grandfather is powerful. He will protect you.”

 

Tim struggled. Damian was tiny, with the lingering scent of a baby still around him, sweet and innocent and untouched--much like Tim had been before he came here. “Ra’s wants...don’t you feel threatened?” he finally asked.

 

Damian blinked. “Mother says that you may bear pups,” he said. “But she will not let me be replaced. Are you going to replace me?”

 

“I don’t know,” Tim said, and he realized he sounded as childish as Damian in the moment. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”

 

Damian looked conflicted for a moment before he moved closer, letting his instincts take over. He nuzzled into Tim’s side and scented him, sighing a bit.

 

Tim didn’t embrace Damian, but he allowed it. And if he buried his nose in Damian’s hair for a moment to inhale his sweet pup scent, no one would ever need know.

 

*

 

“How long have I been here?” Tim asked suddenly. He didn’t know any more just how much time had passed between one event and another. The days were so very monotonous that it was difficult to keep track. Swordplay, dinner, then bed with his mate. More often than not now Ra’s would roll them around the sheets a bit before they slept, though Tim’s heat still hadn’t returned. They had just finished another bout and were lying together in the afterglow.

 

“We have been mated for five months,” Ra’s answered smoothly. “Five months to the day tomorrow.”

 

Tim blinked. “I…” Tears were starting to come back, and he didn’t try to stop them.

 

Ra’s drew Tim closer. “What is it, beloved?”

 

“My birthday was last week,” Tim mumbled. “I’m sorry, I know it’s stupid, but…”

 

“Oh, my dear,” Ra’s said. “I wish I had known. We would have celebrated.”

 

“It’s not...it’s fine,” Tim said. He didn’t want to know what sort of celebration Ra’s would have held, but he had a feeling it would not have been appropriate for turning fourteen.

 

Ra’s kissed him anyway. Tim opened to it this time; he had grown accustomed to the physical part of their relationship in the past five months, had even started to reciprocate somewhat with whatever Ra’s was doing. He still didn’t like it in his conscious mind, but he did have to admit the general mindlessness that came with sex was often better than whatever he was feeling outside of it.

 

“You are growing strong, Timothy,” Ra’s said, pride and warmth evident in his voice. “I am so very pleased with you.”

 

Tim didn’t shudder in Ra’s’ grasp anymore, but it was a close thing. He didn’t respond, just curled closer to his mate, eyes closed.

 

Five months. Five months and no one had come for him. It seemed that Ra’s was right, that he wouldn’t be rescued, that he was stuck here.

 

And the worst part was, Tim was beginning to think it may not be the worst thing ever.

 

*

 

Tim didn’t like talking to Talia. More often than not, she was cold and dismissive--never outright cruel, but Tim had a feeling that was more out of respect for Ra’s than any mercy toward him.

 

Still, she was the only person he saw every day who might be able to answer his questions, though he wasn’t sure how much she reported back to her father. It was worth a try, though, so a week or two after his birthday, Tim decided to broach the subject.

 

“What happened to the others?” he asked on one of the rare occasions that Talia let him rest. Damian wasn’t with them, and Talia had been running drills all morning.

 

“What others?” Talia asked.

 

“The other omegas,” Tim said. “I know he’s been mated before...what became of his mates?”

 

Talia looked at him for a long moment with what might have been called pity. “They died,” she said simply.

 

“Yes, but how?”

 

“A few of them were foolish enough to challenge me,” Talia said. “And lost. The rest died in the birthing bed, and almost all of their pups with them.”

 

Tim stared at her, trying to discern if she was lying. She met his eye, calm but with that same tinge of pity.

 

He swallowed. “I’m not ready,” he whispered, afraid and ashamed to admit it.

 

“None of them are ready,” Talia said, and her voice was surprisingly gentle. “Be grateful for the release of an early death, and pray you go before your pup.”

 

“You said I have power over him.”

 

“You do. An omega’s place is not beneath her alpha, it is beside him. And you are at the side of one of the most powerful alphas in the world. And he does have affection for you--he would not bother to train you if he believed you were only going to die.”

 

“I…”

 

“Whether you love him or not, he has taken strongly to you.” Talia stood abruptly. “I suggest you not squander his affection. Get up--it is time for you and I to spar.”

 

Tim stood and picked up his sword. Talia retrieved her own from the back wall and took her stance.

 

Tim took the first attack, which she dodged easily, swiping at him with her blade. She got a strike as Tim stumbled past, though he turned quickly and struck back.

 

Sparring with Talia was nothing like sparring with Damian. She was taller, more graceful, more sure of herself. Tim could barely hit her, could hardly ever come close, though he did get one or two strikes in. She seemed pleased by that, even when she disarmed him and knocked him down.

 

“Better than I expected,” she said. “You learn well.”

 

Tim nodded in thanks, breathing hard. He didn’t understand--he was stronger now, endured better, but he was overheated, sweating, panting…

 

Talia sniffed a bit. “Timothy?”

 

“I…” Tim swallowed, voice suddenly thick. Ra’s. Where was Ra’s, he needed his mate, needed him to…

 

“Oh,” Talia said. She turned and dashed to the door. Tim couldn’t hear what she was saying, blood pounding in his ears. He felt slick, open, needy…

 

No. No, not now. Not yet, he wasn’t ready, wasn’t prepared…

 

He cried out hoarsely as Talia returned to his side. “Breathe, Timothy,” she said. “I have sent for my father.”

 

Tim growled slightly, the scent of a competing omega sickening him. Why was she here, why wasn’t his alpha here to help him, why was this omega trying to claim his place in the pack?

 

Talia drew back. “Just wait,” she said. “Don’t challenge me now, pup, you’ll feel better in the morning.”

 

Tim snapped at her, but that quickly gave way to a whine as more slick leaked from his already soaking pussy. He lay on the floor, panting, waiting…

 

The door opened and Tim was overwhelmed with the scent of alpha, his alpha. He whined and reached out. “Alpha,” he gasped.

 

Ra’s came to him and lifted Tim easily. Tim wrapped himself around his mate and scented him, breathing the comforting smell in deeply. Ra’s pressed a kiss to Tim’s temple. “It is time, my love,” he whispered.

 

Tim pawed at Ra’s all the way up the stairs, kissing and nipping at his mate desperately. Ra’s managed to maintain control of himself until the bedroom door closed, but as soon as it did, he was on Tim, kissing him deep and fierce and possessive. And Tim opened to it, accepted it, winding his legs around Ra’s’ hips and pressing down against him mindlessly.

 

Ra’s dropped Tim on the bed and was on him again at once, ripping at their clothes, clearly overwhelmed by the scent and pheromones floating through the room. Tim made no objection, put up no struggle as his mate kissed and licked all over him. All he could do was make gentle mewling noises, pressing up to beg without words for what he needed.

 

It was only when Ra’s started fingering his cunt, rough and fast and impatient, that Tim began to have any sort of awareness of the situation. While his body and most of his animal brain were responding favorably, pressing against Ra’s’ hand happily, the rational part of his brain was protesting as strongly as ever. Tim whined, reaching up, though whether he wanted to push Ra’s away or embrace him was unclear until he got there and pulled his mate down to kiss again.

 

Ra’s made a pleased sound and pulled his hand away. Tim barely had a moment to breathe before he was breached again, all at once, fast and hard and he was loving it, crying out in approval as Ra’s moved. Ra’s made a softer noise and then bit at Tim’s neck, tracing his mating bite with his tongue. Tim practically screamed in ecstasy, his legs latching around Ra’s’ hips, arms winding around his mate’s shoulders. This was his place, his purpose, the only thing his body ever wanted to do again.

 

Ra’s was brutal in his thrusts, rough in his bites, the pace perfectly frantic. Tim could barely even move to do anything but lay bites and kisses to Ra’s’ neck in turn, trapped beneath his mate’s weight and cock and hands. He cried out again as Ra’s fisted his small omega cock and Tim came between them, whining and clawing at Ra’s’ back. And it didn’t stop, Tim convulsing with the force of his orgasms until he felt his mate’s knot form, until his mind whited out with pleasure and pain and hormones clawing through him and sending him back down into blackness.

 

*

 

The heat lasted for days. Tim was barely conscious of most of it; he would wake every few hours full of frenzied lust, which Ra’s was all too happy to satiate. He knew that he ate a few times, and that Ra’s periodically pressed a glass to his lips to drink from, but otherwise he was confined to the bed with his mate on top of him.

 

Tim finally came back to himself some time later. He was alone in the bed, surrounded by torn and stained sheets, his entire body aching. He huffed a bit and leaned up on his elbows to look at himself. He was a canvas of bites and bruises, his pussy swollen and sore. Tim groaned and flopped back on the mattress, hands over his eyes. It was one thing for Ra’s to use him like a whore when he was oblivious to it, quite another to wake up in the aftermath.

 

Trina came in with a breakfast tray an hour later. She glanced at Tim with a matronly smile. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

 

“Exhausted,” Tim said. “How long?”

 

“You were in heat for almost thirty-six hours,” she said. “The master sends his regrets that he couldn’t be here when you woke, but he had urgent business to attend to. He will be back later to attend to you.”

 

Tim nodded; he knew Ra’s wouldn’t stay away too long. He forced himself to sit up and ate mechanically. “Could you run a bath?” he asked. “And...and change the sheets?”

 

“Of course.” Trina helped him get up and into the tub once the water was run. Tim sank into it gratefully, the warm water soothing the pain. He almost fell asleep there, lulled by the quiet and his finally clear mind, and had indeed gone into a light doze when the door opened again.

 

Ra’s looked concerned, but not overly distressed as he moved to Tim. “Are you all right, beloved?”

 

Tim gave him a perfunctory and dishonest smile as he extended his hand. “I’m fine,” he lied. “Just tired.”

 

Ra’s took the offered hand and kissed it gently. “You were wonderful,” he said, as if Tim actually cared about pleasing his mate. “At my age, lasting through an entire heat is difficult...but you, Timothy...you made me feel so much younger.”

 

Tim grit his teeth to keep from shuddering. “Happy to please,” he murmured. He swallowed, remembering the moment his heat hit. “I didn’t actually challenge Talia, did I?”

 

“She did not take it as such,” Ra’s assured him. “She understands that a heat will sometimes trigger aggression toward rival omegas...since you have not yet formed a familial bond, her smelling of my blood confused your addled mind.”

 

“I’m not even sure what sort of familial bond we could form,” Tim said. “I’m far too young to take on a parental role, and it would be odd for my mate’s daughter to do that for me.”

 

“Yes, that does make things a bit confusing,” Ra’s said. “And Talia has never formed bonds easily. Damian’s the only person she’s ever taken to, and that’s more instinctive than most others.”

 

Tim nodded. “Water’s gone cold,” he muttered.

 

Ra’s lifted him out of the tub and dried him off. Tim fell back into a doze as Ra’s carried him back to bed. “Stay?” Tim murmured.

 

Ra’s slid into the bed beside him, his scent and warmth calming Tim’s animal mind. “Of course, beloved.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

Tim didn’t go back to training for almost a week after his heat. By the time Ra’s allowed him out of bed, most of the bruises had faded, and he felt slightly less dirty.

 

Talia said nothing as Tim entered the training hall, merely picked up her sword. Tim nodded and took up his own. They went into the fight at once, perhaps a tad more vicious now that their pheromones had decided to hate each other.

 

Talia won, of course, though it was perhaps a bit more narrow now that Tim wasn’t heat-hazed. She looked at him a long moment as he was disarmed, but still didn’t speak. Tim wasn’t sure if she was going to challenge him or try to offer comfort.

 

She did neither, and they fell back into their routine fairly quickly. The days were once again monotonous, training and dinner and sex, and Tim was quite bored; if he wasn’t kept busy all the time, he would already be trying to break into Ra’s’ defense systems to find a way out. Then again, maybe that was the goal, to keep Tim so preoccupied with monotonous tasks that he wouldn’t have time to try and leave.

 

At least public school had prepared him for that.

 

The shame of his heat was almost forgotten a month later. Almost, because that morning Tim woke up feeling overwhelmingly nauseas, more than he had the first morning after his mating. He had the presence of mind to dive for the basin before he vomited, though he did manage to keep hold of it this time.

 

Trina must have been nearby, because she hurried in almost at once. Tim tried to speak, but only managed to be sick again. Trina took the basin, holding it in place and rubbing Tim’s back soothingly.

 

He finally stopped a few minutes later, breathing hard. Trina moved away and returned after a bit with a glass of water, which Tim sipped gratefully.

 

“I’ve sent for the master,” she said.

 

Tim whimpered slightly. “I don’t need…”

 

“He wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t,” she said gently. “Come, I’ll clean you up.”

 

Tim allowed her to lead him to the bath. He lay still as she washed him, not moving until she had changed the sheets and was guiding him back to bed.

 

Ra’s came in a bit later, looking concerned. There was another man behind him carrying a black bag, a beta, presumably a doctor. “Trina, leave us,” Ra’s ordered. She nodded and hurried out.

 

Tim groaned. “I don’t need a doctor,” he grumbled.

 

“You are ill,” Ra’s said. 

 

“I’m fine,” Tim insisted. “Just a bug.”

 

“The doctor will examine you,” Ra’s said. “And you will not argue.”

 

Tim glared. “I don’t need to be coddled.”

 

“This is not coddling, Timothy, this is caring.” Ra’s stepped to the bed and bit down on the mating mark on Tim’s neck. “Obey.”

 

Tim whimpered, but gave no further objection as the doctor came over and started examining him. He stayed still, trying to breathe steadily without crying, shame and fear clawing through his chest.

 

The doctor finished his examination within the hour and stepped aside, speaking to Ra’s in a low voice. Tim watched them, tears starting to course down his face, wondering what was going on. Was he dying? Was it something serious, would Ra’s just kill him now and be done with it?

 

Finally, the doctor turned back to him with a small smile. “Congratulations,” he said.

 

Tim blinked. “What?”

 

Ra’s came to him and kissed him soundly. “You are with child, my dear,” he said.

 

Tim stared at him a moment. “No,” he whispered. “No, please no, I’m not ready, please…” He was starting to hyperventilate, panic ripping through him. A baby, at his age, at his size, tied to a mate he never wanted with no other familial bonds to help him?

 

Ra’s took his hands. “It is true, beloved,” he said. “Ready or not.”

 

Tim was crying openly now, trying to breathe. “No, no, no,” he kept repeating, shrinking back from Ra’s.

 

The doctor was looking rather concerned now. “It is a risk,” he ventured.

 

“One we will take,” Ra’s said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “I trust you to keep them both healthy...and you know the penalty if you do not.”

 

Tim whimpered, curling up away from his mate, sobbing and shaking. He couldn’t, wouldn’t have this child, wouldn’t let Ra’s dictate that, wouldn’t allow his body to be used and destroyed that way…

 

“I would first suggest that you find a way to calm him,” the doctor said. “This amount of stress isn’t good for either of them.”

 

Tim screamed as Ra’s reached out for him, scrambling away. Ra’s stopped, looking rather startled. “My dear,” he said. “Why are you so distressed?”

 

“I don’t want to die,” Tim finally gasped. “I don’t want to die like the others.”

 

“Oh, my love.” Ra’s reached out again and this time Tim let him pull him into an embrace. “I will not allow that to happen.” He kissed Tim’s tears away, almost gentle, but still possessive.

 

Tim buried himself in his alpha’s scent, breathing deep to steady himself. “Do you swear?” he asked.

 

“By all my children, alive or dead, I swear,” Ra’s said. “You will be cared for, and protected, and our sons will grow strong and healthy.”

 

Tim nodded, curling himself into Ra’s’ lap. Ra’s held him, petting his hair, letting Tim cry, and it almost felt like he meant his promise.

 

*

 

Tim remained in bed the rest of the day. Ra’s stayed with him for hours, soothing his mate’s tears, but Tim didn’t feel any better by the time he left. If anything, he was more afraid than ever.

 

Fourteen years old and already pregnant. His father would be furious if he knew. That was one comfort, Tim supposed--if he did die as Talia predicted, his parents would never have to know what sort of shame he’d brought on them. 

 

It was clear now that Ra’s was right, that no rescue was coming. Even if it did, six months on, what good would it do? Tim was ruined, physically and socially, no matter what happened. Even if by some miracle Batman chose to swoop in and overthrow Ra’s, it wouldn’t change anything that had happened to him.

 

Trina arrived later that evening with a very heavy tray ladened with food, far more than Tim ever wanted to eat. She set it on the table and went to Tim.

 

“Come, Timothy. You must eat.”

 

“I’m not hungry,” Tim muttered, rather petulantly.

 

“The master says you are to follow the diet set for you, even if I have to force you.”

 

Tim gave a long-suffering sigh but didn’t move. “Talia said they all die in the birthing bed.”

 

“It has been common,” Trina said. “At least in her lifetime...Lady Nyssa is younger than her, but they share a mother...every pup and omega since then has…”

 

“Yeah.” Tim sat up, shaking again. “I’m afraid,” he whispered.

 

Trina pulled him close again, letting her calm beta scent sooth him a little. “I know, love,” she said. “But you will pull through...the master hasn’t taken to anyone so strongly in years. He’ll do whatever he can to keep you safe.”

 

“I know,” Tim said. “He promised...but…”

 

“And so it shall be,” Trina said firmly. “Now come eat before I really do force you.”

 

*

 

Tim didn’t even attempt to leave his chambers for several days. He mostly remained in bed feeling sorry for himself, only getting up to eat and wash when Trina made him. Ra’s was in and out, as always, though he was much more attentive in the evenings, holding Tim close and kissing him frequently. Tim hated it, as always, but he didn’t try to fight it.

 

It had been almost a week before Tim found the wherewithal to get up without prompting. He was still afraid, and disgusted with himself and Ra’s, but he did manage to find an appetite at least. 

 

Trina looked pleased when Tim ate without complaining. “The master says your training will be put on hold until after the birth,” she told him over breakfast. “At least, of the physical sort. He has sent up several books so that you can set about training your mind instead.”

 

Tim nodded; he didn’t expect his mate to allow him to be idle for long, and at least this way he wouldn’t have to encounter Talia or overly strain himself while pregnant.

 

“Do you need anything else?” Trina asked.

 

“No,” Tim said. “Leave me.”

 

She nodded and exited the room. Tim finished his breakfast and picked up the first volume to take back to bed with him.

 

So the next several months passed, quietly in study. Tim read every book Ra’s sent him, mostly history volumes about everything that the League of Assassins had ever done. Tim was actually fascinated by most of it, remembering dates and names and details perfectly; then again, he’d always had a good memory for academics.

 

He didn’t exactly settle into the idea of having a baby, though it was fairly hard to ignore. He was less active now, and eating a lot more, and it was starting to show. Four months into the pregnancy, Tim had gained more weight than he felt was strictly necessary and his stomach was starting to curve a bit, though whether that was from the weight gain or the actual baby, he wasn’t sure.

 

Ra’s was pleased with all of these developments.

 

“You look well, Timothy,” he said one morning as he prepare to go...wherever Ra’s went during the day. Tim had never even thought to ask him; he had the feeling he didn’t really want to know.

 

“Your doctor knows his nutrition, anyway,” Tim said. “I think I’ve gained fifty pounds in the last four months.”

 

“Not quite that much,” Ra’s said. “But you are well on track.” He pulled Tim into his arms and kissed him, ignoring that Tim didn’t respond. “You are beautiful.”

 

Tim looked away from him. “I finished the last century,” he said, ignoring the compliment. “Can I get the next set today?”

 

Ra’s laughed and kissed him again. “Such an eager mind,” he said. “Perhaps I was too quick to start training you as a warrior. Most of my...previous mates...didn’t finish nearly as many books as you do.”

 

Tim shrugged. “I like reading,” he said. “And I want to know more about my pack.”

 

He didn’t say what he really wanted. To know how Ra’s lived so long. To understand why he was this way.

 

To find a way to one day defeat him.

 

“I will order my servants to send up the next set at once,” Ra’s said. “Though you may run out before your time is up.”

 

“I’m sure you’ll find more for me to do,” Tim said.

 

“You would be correct,” Ra’s said. “I am so proud of you.”

 

Tim didn’t shy away from the next kiss. 

 

“I’ll be back tonight,” Ra’s said. “Duty calls.”

 

Tim nodded.

 

*

 

Tim had fallen asleep again by the time Ra’s returned. He wouldn’t have noticed if Ra’s hadn’t climbed into the bed next to him and turned him over without preamble.

 

Tim kept still, breathing shallowly. Ra’s was running his hands over Tim’s body possessively.

 

“Ra’s…” Tim murmured.

 

“Hush, beloved.” Ra’s was kissing over him now, gentle and open-mouthed on his torso. 

 

“Ra’s, no…”

 

“Quiet.” Ra’s ran his hand over Tim’s round stomach up to his breast, swollen and aching. “Let me reward you.”

 

“You can reward me by letting me sleep.”

 

“I only want to ease some of your suffering.” Ra’s lowered his head, mouthing at Tim’s breast.

 

“The doctor…”

 

“I have spoken to him. He said so long as I am not too rough on you, physical intimacy should not be a problem...and when have I been anything but kind?”

 

“Always,” Tim muttered.

 

Ra’s chuckled lowly before he leaned down and mouthed at Tim’s breast again, sucking slightly. Tim groaned--he was so sensitive, and it did feel nice, some of the pressure leaving slightly.

 

He lay still, eyes closed, feeling Ra’s suck at his breasts for several minutes. Tim grew hotter by the minute; the sensation was so new and everything was so heightened…

 

It was only after several minutes of mindless sensation that Tim realized there was liquid leaking from his breast. He opened his eyes and stared as Ra’s squeezed at it, letting the milk trickle down Tim’s overheated skin. Tim flushed with shame as his mate looked up at him.

 

“Beautiful,” Ra’s said. “This is beautiful, Timothy.”

 

Tim whimpered, his mind wanting Ra’s to go away as much as his body wanted this to continue. His eyes closed again involuntarily, his face on fire, his legs suddenly covered in slick, and Ra’s was still squeezing and licking and sucking at him and it felt so wrong, so horribly, disgustingly wrong, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Almost didn’t want to stop it.

 

“Ra’s…” he said, and it was more of a moan now. A sigh, a whine, begging for more, even as he wanted to scream no. Wanted to shove his mate away and go back to sleep. Wanted to run away, go home, back to Gotham, and raise his pup away from this, never see his alpha again…

 

But he couldn’t. Even if his body wasn’t so eager, so desperate for Ra’s’ touch now, he couldn’t go back to Gotham. He wouldn’t be able to leave Ra’s for long before it hurt, before his body would drag him back here. He couldn’t raise a pup alone, not with how young and uncertain he was. At least here, they would be fed and warm.

 

Tim rested his hand on his stomach. He didn’t want this pup. Didn’t want to be thrust into motherhood so early. Didn’t want to be tied to Ra’s any more than he had to be.

 

But it had happened, and it was too late to stop it. Tim would have this child, no matter how much he didn’t want it. He didn’t love it, no, but he wouldn’t harm the child. And here, in Ra’s al Ghul’s household, it would be cared for and exalted and held up as a miracle.

 

And if its happiness meant sacrificing his body and dignity, well, Tim could live with that.

 

Ra’s raised his head and kissed Tim deeply, letting some of the liquid in his mouth pass between them. “This is a gift, Timothy,” Ra’s whispered, laying his hand over Tim’s. “He is a gift...you are a gift.”

 

Tim nodded and pressed his chest up involuntarily. “Please,” he whispered. “More.”

 

Ra’s kissed him again and lowered his head.

 


	5. Chapter 5

One of the many, many things Tim could do without during his pregnancy was the doctor’s visits. The doctor--Tim never learned his name--came in every week to make sure the pregnancy was progressing correctly. Tim found the entire thing humiliating and invasive, especially since he still didn’t want the child five months in.

 

“There you are,” the doctor said, pulling up the ultrasound. “Looks like an alpha girl.”

 

Tim nodded, numb. Ra’s didn’t look pleased, exactly, but he didn’t seem angry. “A good start,” he said, kissing Tim’s knuckles. “A very good start.”

 

“It was a one in four shot,” Tim said, trying to deflect a bit. He didn’t know why he was afraid--it wasn’t like Ra’s had done anything to prevent his other daughters’ births. “We can’t be lucky right away.”

 

“No, we cannot,” Ra’s agreed. “And I am sure she will be good and strong like her sisters and brother. And brilliant like her mother.”

 

Tim gave him a perfunctory smile. “I’m sure she will.”

 

The doctor removed the machine. “And how’s your weight, Timothy?”

 

“On track, I think,” Tim said. “I feel heavy, anyway.”

 

“Good,” the doctor said. “You’re well on-track, Timothy. Both of you are as healthy as you can be.”

 

Tim nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

 

Why did everything going right feel so wrong?

 

*

 

The answer came a month later.

 

Tim was reading away at the books Ra’s had sent him--a new set now that he had finished the histories, but no less fascinating, detailing various methods of killing people--when there was a knock on the door and to his immense surprise, Talia came in.

 

Tim looked at her. “What brings you here?” he asked.

 

“Am I not allowed to offer congratulations?” Talia asked, her voice cold.

 

“I wouldn’t think you’d congratulate your rival,” Tim answered.

 

“Rival in biology only,” Talia said. “I have nothing against you personally...our pheromones just compete.”

 

Tim shrugged. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s not your fault...going into heat during a fight, even just a spar, is bound to mess with our chemistry.” She smiled and took the chair opposite Tim. “Still, a happy result all around.”

 

Tim hummed a bit. He was starting to feel dizzy from having his body’s rival sitting so close to him, though he kept his composure. “I’m also surprised that Ra’s allowed you to come up.”

 

“Well,” Talia said. “Not so much allowed as just...didn’t object.”

 

Something in her tone made Tim sit up straight. “What?”

 

“Relax, Timothy,” she said. “Don’t strain yourself. Do you want me to make you more tea?”

 

“No,” Tim said. “Thank you, but that’s...probably a bad idea.”

 

“What, do you think I’ll poison it?”

 

Tim glared. “I don’t trust anyone in this place,” he snapped. “If Ra’s wasn’t obsessed with having an alpha son eventually, I’d probably already be dead.”

 

“Don’t be like that,” Talia said. “No one here has any grudge against you...in fact, most of my father’s assassins are glad of your presence. He’s been in a much better mood ever since you arrived.”

 

Tim grunted in acknowledgement and picked up his book again. “If they’re happy that he’s in a good mood from raping me every night, that doesn’t make me trust them more,” he snapped, and went back to reading.

 

Talia said nothing, though she didn’t leave, only picked up one of the books on the pile Tim had already finished and began to read as well. Tim bristled slightly, her scent invading his senses and putting him on edge. He found it hard to concentrate, the words on the page slipping away, the dizziness getting stronger the longer he could smell Talia here.

 

After an hour, he had had enough. “Do you mind?” he asked, rather more rudely than strictly necessary. “My nose really doesn’t like you right now.”

 

Talia raised her eyebrows, but set the book aside and stood. Tim glared at her as she walked to the door, much slower than needed, and finally left, though her scent still lingered.

 

Tim breathed a sigh of relief for a moment before he felt a stabbing pain in his stomach, followed by wetness between his legs. He cried out, dropping his book. This wasn’t heat, wasn’t all-consuming arousal and need. This was worse, so much worse, his body starting to contract, stomach cramping all over, arms and legs going numb as he fell from his chair.

 

What was happening? Had Talia done something, or was it just the scent of a rival omega so close that did it? Would he survive? Would the baby...oh, god, what would Ra’s do to him if he lost the baby?

 

Tim screamed again as another stabbing pain shot through him, harder this time. He barely noticed the door open, but then Trina was next to him. “Oh, no,” he heard, and then he was being lifted--apparently the beta woman was stronger than she looked, because she was carrying Tim out of the room and down the halls. Tim clung to her, screaming and crying through the pain, he was going to die, he knew he was going to die…

 

He heard footsteps, running, and then Ra’s’ scent washed over him, easing the pain slightly. He felt his mate take him from Trina and carry him, shouting something back over his shoulder though the words were indistinct. Tim gasped, the pain shooting through his pelvis as well now, like his was being ripped in two, like...like…

 

They had stopped moving, or maybe Tim was losing consciousness. He could feel the wetness on his legs increasing. Was it slick or blood or something else? He couldn’t be certain. He heard a distant tearing noise and he was cold, so cold, and then he was back in Ra’s arms, they were descending again, down, down…

 

*

 

Tim gasped awake. He panted a moment, looking around. It took him a moment to get his bearings and assess.

 

He was back in bed, naked and soaking wet, and Ra’s was sitting beside him, looking...not afraid, Ra’s wasn’t capable of fear, but concerned. The doctor was over him, running his stethoscope over Tim’s chest and stomach.

 

“What happened?” Tim asked.

 

“You went into an early labor,” the doctor said. “It almost killed you.”

 

Tim looked down, afraid, but his stomach was still swollen, a slight movement under his skin assuring him that the baby was alive. Tim put a hand over the movement, as though to sooth his daughter.

 

“They both seem to be healthy enough,” the doctor said. “Though we’ll have to see what kind of damage the Pit might have done.”

 

Ra’s nodded. “I apologize for my hasty action,” he said. “But I could not think what else to do in the moment.”

 

“It’s lucky you did,” the doctor said. “Had he gone through the full labor, they both would have died...she’s too small to survive on her own.” The doctor smiled at Tim, who was more confused than ever. “Bed rest,” he said. “Until the pregnancy is finished. I’ll adjust your diet as well. Do you know what triggered it?”

 

Tim swallowed, but he couldn’t lie to Ra’s. “Talia was here,” he said. “I think...her scent set it off.”

 

The doctor nodded. “That makes sense,” he said. “I would also recommend that no one be allowed in this room except your mate and servant, at least for the next few weeks. Any unfamiliar scent could lead to disaster now.”

 

“I will ensure it,” Ra’s promised. “Trina has already cleaned the room, so the scent should not linger.”

 

“Good.” The doctor nodded to them and left the room.

 

Tim waited until the door closed before his eyes turned on his mate. “What did you do to me?” he asked, sounding more afraid than angry.

 

“As I said,” Ra’s said. “It was the only thing I could do.”

 

“What’s the Pit?”

 

Ra’s sighed. “It is not in the history books,” he said. “Not even those I keep myself. I cannot risk it being exposed to the wider world.” He stood abruptly and walked to the window, the only one in the room. “I am sure Trina has told you that I am old...very old.”

 

“She said you’re immortal.”

 

“She is correct, though it is probably not what you are imagining. I am not some metahuman with an unusual lifespan, or some demi-god who cannot be defeated. I am as human as you are, at least genetically...though six hundred years of life does tend to make one feel less human.”

 

Tim stared. Six hundred years? If he thought Ra’s mating him was creepy before, now it was just disgusting. “How?” he asked.

 

“When I was a young man...relatively speaking...I discovered a secret. It is called the Lazarus Pit, though it is more of a deep pool. Inside is what you might call water, though it’s so much more complex...I can provide you the formula, you may actually appreciate it.”

 

“Maybe,” Tim said.

 

“The point is, this water will heal any injury, cure any illness...and will even raise the dead, provided the body is still somewhat intact. There are several in the world, including the one here, far below my stronghold.”

 

“And that’s what you used?” Tim asked. “To save us?”

 

“It is,” Ra’s said. “I have used it to prolong my life for many years. My children also have access to it, to heal their wounds. And certain of my more favored assassins are sometimes given access, as I see fit. This is my gift, to you and our child.”

 

“But...if you’ve had this all along, why did the others die?” Tim asked. “Why didn’t you save your other mates and pups?”

 

“It does not come without cost,” Ra’s said. “And the cost is different for everyone. For myself, after I have revived, there is a certain period of...madness. Animal instinct that takes over and drives all rational thought from my mind. It is temporary, but as I grow older it takes longer and longer to wear off. For others, it grants immortality, and immunity from harm, but the madness never quite fades, even if they are recivilized. And some...well, some don’t react well to it at all. You are one of the lucky ones, Timothy...though it probably helps that you were not dead when I dragged you under.”

 

“So you wouldn’t risk it,” Tim said. “You’d rather just move on to the next mate rather than handle the insanity that could come with the one you have.”

 

“When you get to be my age, Timothy, mates come and go much like everyone else in this world,” Ra’s said. “It takes a very special person to interest me anymore. I seek them out, of course--even an immortal man does well to have an heir in place, and the Lazarus Pit will not work forever--but it is rare that they make me feel anything more than duty.” He turned and brushed his fingers across Tim’s cheek. “But you, Timothy...you are something special.”

 

Tim pulled away. “Why?” he demanded. “What makes me any different from the others? Why did you save me but not them?” The tears were starting again, hot and furious. “Why did you take me from my home and decide that I was yours?”

 

Ra’s blinked a bit at Tim’s outburst. “I believe you answered it yourself,” he said. “You question me...challenge me in a way the others did not. You are unafraid to argue with me, and while you may have reconciled yourself to our match, I know you do not like it. Do not think I have not noticed how you flinch from my touch...how you only willingly indulge my desires when you are in the throes of uncontrollable heat. Even that first day, you only submitted because your body told you to...you were still willing to snap at me in a way that most omegas would not dare. I like that you do not just give me what I want...and I so look forward to making you love me. As much as I love  you.”

 

Tim didn’t try to hide his disgust at the words. He stared at his mate for a long time before he turned over on his side, his back to him. “Get out,” he muttered.

 

“Timothy…”

 

“GET OUT!” Tim grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and threw it over his shoulder. Ra’s seemed to take the hint because he did move away.

 

“I will be back tonight,” Ra’s said. “You have had a terrible ordeal...it is only natural you would be upset.”

 

The door closed and Tim heard the key turn in the lock, trapping him inside. He grabbed another pillow and curled around it, his stomach making it awkward as he wept, for himself, for his baby, for everyone who had been lost before him to a man who didn’t care for any of them.

 

*

 

Tim grew bored very quickly.

 

It had been bad enough before, when he was stuck in his rooms with the books Ra’s gave him, but at least then he had been able to get up and move around sometimes. Now he was confined to bed except when he went to bathe, and even then Trina carried him. Tim protested that he could walk, but no one would hear of it.

 

And while Ra’s continued to give him books, and all of them were fascinating, Tim was going a bit stir-crazy. At seven months along, he was feeling downright disgusting.

 

“I’m not meant to be fat!” Tim whined at Trina as she bustled about doing the dusting. “I barely weighed a hundred pounds when I got here and now I’m fat!”

 

“The weight will come off soon enough when it’s over,” Trina said patiently. “The master is already seeing about a wetnurse so you can go back to your training at once.”

 

“I’d rather nurse her myself,” Tim said. “My mom said it was an important part of the bonding process.”

 

Trina pursed her lips. “You assume the master will want strong bonds forming between you.”

 

Tim blinked. “But...we’re the same pack,” he said. “My pup and I...we should have a good mother-daughter bond, shouldn’t we?”

 

“The master is more concerned with how well both of you perform your duties,” she said. “Your duty is to bear, yes, but not to raise...he has servants for that. Lady Talia never complained about the arrangement.”

 

“And her bond to Damian is weak,” Tim said. “I don’t care what Ra’s says, this is my pup and I will care for her personally. And if he doesn’t like it, he can just find a new mate.”

 

“Don’t say that,” Trina said. “He does care for you, Timothy, and the only way he’d put you aside is if…”

 

“If I die,” Tim said. “And he won’t let me.”

 

“No,” Trina said. “He will not.” She finished her dusting abruptly. “Well, that should do it for today...do you need anything?”

 

He needed freedom. He needed to move, to fly. He needed someone to hug him and tell him it would be all right. He needed someone to take him and his pup far from here, back where he belonged, and comfort him, treat him as he was--a child forced to grow up too fast. He needed someone to really love him, like a parent.

 

“No,” Tim said. “That will be all.”

 

*

 

The pains still started a month earlier than expected. This time, they were more regular, and Tim knew no amount of bedrest or the Lazarus Pit would stop them.

 

Ra’s was out, but Trina was in almost constant attendance and she fetched the doctor right away.

 

“Breathe, Timothy,” the doctor said. “She’ll take a while, but you have to breathe.”

 

Tim nodded, doing as he was told. “Ra’s?” he inquired.

 

“He does not attend the births,” Trina said. “The last time he did, his scent caused his mate to seize up at once...she died almost instantly and her pup lived barely a day.”

 

Tim shuddered.

 

“Don’t distress him,” the doctor said without looking up. “His body’s frail enough as it is.”

 

“Is that supposed to distress me less?” Tim asked.

 

“I’m already prepared to do an emergency C-section, but I’d rather not,” the doctor said. “Breathe.”

 

Tim did, though it was growing more difficult all the time.

 

It took hours, pain pulling screams from his throat, the tightness in his belly and pelvis growing all the time.

 

“Push!”

 

It hurt, so much, more than anything, more than Tim could imagine, trying to force such a large object out of his tiny body.

 

“Again!”

 

Tim screamed and gripped Trina’s hand. She squeezed back and pressed a damp cloth to his forehead. “Almost there,” she said.

 

“Again!”

 

The cry that ripped through him was enough. Tim shoved with all his might and felt the baby leave him.

 

But there was no answering cry, no wail of a newborn. Tim fell back on the bed, exhausted and in pain, eyes closed and breath heavy.

 

There was silence in the room, a deep, horrified silence.

 

“Oh my…” Trina gasped.

 

The scent in the room was incredible, blood and offal mixed with something cloyingly sweet, almost rotting. Tim sat halfway up and held out his arms. “Give her to me,” he said, his voice distant to his own ears as an eerie calm washed over him.

 

“Timothy…” the doctor began.

 

“Give her to me.”

 

It felt almost reluctant as the tiny form was placed in his arms. She was small, smaller than the dolls Tim had played with as a child, and she felt...cold. Tim raised the child to his breast and felt her latch on, sucking hard and it hurt, not like when Ra’s touched him, but like the pup was trying to suck out his very soul.

 

But he held her there and let her feed, very slowly opening his eyes.

 

The baby was pale, her skin almost translucent. Tim could see every single vein in her tiny body, and all of them were glowing green. Tim stared as she unlatched and opened her eyes. They, too, were a glowing green and there were no pupils. It was hard to say whether she could or would be able to see anything at all. Tim leaned down and scented her, the fetid, rotting sweetness stronger around her. She was living, but she looked and smelled of death.

 

Tim looked up at the horrified faces beside him. “Let him in,” he said quietly.

 

“Timothy…” Trina began.

 

He raised his eyebrow and she turned to the door. He heard her open it as he switched the baby to the other breast. She latched onto that one as well, sucking harder than before. It was only when Tim looked down that he realized the first one was completely flat and empty, a thin streak of blood running from the nipple and dripping onto his stomach.

 

Ra’s strode into the room and stopped, staring aghast at monstrous child and the blood on Tim’s breast.

 

“What is this?” he demanded.

 

“This is your gift,” Tim said, his voice still eerily calm. “Don’t you like her?”

 

Ra’s stared another moment before he turned and hurried out of the room. Tim watched him go without breaking expression.

 

“Trina, I would like her to stay in here. Please bring the cradle in.”

 

“But...that…”

 

“Shiloh,” Tim said. “Her name will be Shiloh.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Ra’s did not return for several days. Tim didn’t mind--if he’d know that this would finally drive his mate away, he would have been more eager to get pregnant. When Ra’s did come in, he kept his eyes averted from the baby.

 

“My dear, I am sorry,” Ra’s said.

 

“For what?” Tim had felt the same eerie calm ever since Shiloh had been born, though he couldn’t quite figure out why.

 

“For causing you this distress.” Ra’s nodded at the crib, where Shiloh lay asleep. “I did not realize the Pit would turn her monstrous.”

 

“She’s fine,” Tim said. “A perfect reflection.”

 

“It may be wise to lock her away.”

 

Tim laughed. “Away from what?” Tim asked. “No one will speak ill of her...she’s your daughter. They will respect her.”

 

“She is a monster.”

 

“She’s my baby.” Tim reached down and picked her up. Shiloh’s eyes snapped open at once and she stared at Ra’s. He recoiled from her gaze.

 

“Timothy…”

 

Tim bent down to scent her, letting the fetid scent wash over him. He was used to it now, happy with it. “She’s beautiful, Ra’s” he said. “Our beautiful baby.”

 

Ra’s stared in disgust for a long moment before he left again. Tim smiled and set Shiloh back on his breast.

 

*

 

The night was dark, so dark that not even the sharp-eyed assassins could see more than a few inches ahead. But a few inches was all she needed.

 

It would be easy, as always. Talia smiled to herself--this one would be so easy to pass off as an accident. Everyone had already heard of the monster born into the house, how she sucked the blood from her mother’s breast along with the milk--milk that by all accounts was already curdled and slowed.

 

Her father would be glad when he heard the tale, how Talia had heard Timothy scream out in the night, how she had gone in to valiantly save the boy, how she had been too late and the monster had already destroyed him, how she did the good and necessary thing by destroying it in turn. Perhaps her father would weep for his mate, but he would be grateful not to have that thing staining his name.

 

The door was locked, of course, but it had been easy to steal the key. Trina was a good and obedient servant, but not a bright or loyal one; a loyal servant wouldn’t have started the rumor that the alpha’s mate had born a monster, or allowed herself to get so drunk she could be easily robbed. Ra’s had been concerned that Trina would form a parental bond with his mate, but clearly she hadn’t, or it was so weak that it didn’t matter.

 

Talia unlocked the door and crept inside. There was a little moonlight from the window, sending an unearthly shine across the bed where Timothy slept peacefully, his child in the ornate cradle beside him. Talia slipped over and reached down, lifting the pup quietly. The thing was so small, so cold...practically dead already. It was but a moment’s work to throw it across the room, hearing its soft head smash against the stone wall. Talia turned to Timothy, her knife in hand, ready to drive into his breast to complete the tale…

 

A wail went up from the pup. Talia turned quickly to see green eyes glowing from where the monster had landed. A hand closed around her wrist as Timothy sat up, suddenly alert.

 

“What are you doing?!” he shouted.

 

Talia could only stare at the screaming pup. There was green blood seeping across the stones on the floor, but the thing didn’t seem harmed at all for all that she was shrieking. Timothy growled and was out of bed in an instant, tossing Talia aside and rushing to his pup. He picked her up and put her to his breast, where she calmed at once. She was still staring at Talia with her blank glowing eyes, the smashed-in head healing over even as Talia watched.

 

“What did you do?!” Timothy demanded again.

 

“I…” Talia couldn’t speak as the door was thrown open and Ra’s came in with a light.

 

“Beloved?”

 

Timothy was glaring at Talia as he thrust the baby at Ra’s. Ra’s took her, unthinking, the scent of a furious omega washing through the room. Timothy growled again, and this time, there was no mistaking it as anything but a challenge.

 

“Timothy…” Ra’s began.

 

“She came into my nest and tried to harm my pup,” Timothy said, his voice low. “It is my right to challenge her.”

 

Ra’s nodded and stepped back, studying the baby closely. Talia barely had time to drop her knife before Timothy lunged at her, knocking her back into the dining table and sending it across the room. Ra’s flinched as one of the knives on it flew up and struck the baby, sending more green blood across the room. The baby screamed again, but Timothy ignored her, clawing at Talia.

 

Talia threw him off onto the floor and dove on him, hitting and snarling. The whelp would not take her place in the pack. This pup would not defeat her.

 

Timothy yelped and kicked out, pushing Talia off. He was fueled by the anger of a challenged mother, though he had to still be weak from the birth and the monster draining him. Talia leapt at him again, scratching at his face. She felt the skin give and the blood start as she tried to pin him down, keep him submissive…

 

Timothy howled. He grabbed her wrist, squeezing with shocking strength as he turned her over and straddled her hips. He grabbed the other wrist, twisting her arm behind her back and forcing her down. He had blood running down from just under his eyes, though he could clearly still see as he forced Talia into a submissive position and growled.

 

Talia felt herself going limp as Timothy’s scent overwhelmed her. Omega, a rival, but strong, stronger than her with love for his pup. She whined and Timothy bent down and bit the back of her neck in dominance, forcing her to stop moving.

 

There was silence for a moment as Timothy stared at her, but then he let go and rose. He turned to Ra’s, eyes blazing, half-naked and bleeding. “I want her gone,” Timothy said. “I want her to take her pup and leave and not come back.”

 

Ra’s nodded, looking shocked and proud as he stepped toward his mate. “Talia,” he said. “I cast you out. Go, before he decides to kill you.”

 

Talia nodded, dazed. She could only watch as the pup stepped to her father and yanked him down by the collar into a harsh, searing kiss. She stood and hurried out of the room. She didn’t want to, couldn’t lose her pack, couldn’t yield to that...that…

 

But she couldn’t stay. Timothy would exact revenge if she stayed, and she couldn’t let Damian die.

 

Gotham, then. Perhaps there, Bruce would protect them. Perhaps there, she could get to work.

 

*

 

Tim didn’t know what came over him. All he knew was that Talia had tried to kill him and Shiloh, and he wouldn’t stand for it.

 

In spite of the blood on his face and chest, it was easy to subdue her. Simple to command her banishment. And in the heat of the moment, hormones screaming, Tim felt it, the urge to not only defeat his rival but claim his alpha as well.

 

So he pulled Ra’s into a kiss, biting and possessive. “Mine,” he growled against his mate’s lips.

 

Ra’s pulled back, staring at Tim as though he’d never seen him before. “Yours,” he said, his voice hoarse with shock. He looked down at Shiloh, still looking shocked. “Ours.”

 

Tim nodded. “Talia...she should have…”

 

“The Pit,” Ra’s said. “This is its gift to her...it would seem that our daughter gained the full immortality...immune to all harm, unable to be killed...look at it, Timothy.” He wiped a streak of blood from Shiloh’s arm where the knife had flown. The wound was already gone, no mark to show she had ever been hit. “The water of the Pit flows in her veins.”

 

Tim reached out and took Shiloh. She stirred a bit, burrowing by instinct into her mother’s scent. “Thank god for that,” Tim said. “I don’t know what I’d do if...if…”

 

“To lose a child so early is a terrible thing,” Ra’s said. “Especially since your bond is strong.”

 

“And to think you wanted to get me a wetnurse,” Tim said, his voice teasing.

 

“I thought it would ease your suffering if she died like the others,” Ra’s said. 

 

“Well, she didn’t,” Tim said. “And she won’t.” He turned and tucked Shiloh back into her crib. She had gone back to her silent staring, but she did settle at once when Tim kissed her forehead.

 

Ra’s moved forward and pulled Tim into his arms. Tim went more readily than usual, turning to kiss his mate again.

 

“You were magnificent,” Ra’s said when they pulled apart again. “I am very proud of you.”

 

Tim nodded, leaning into the embrace. “Come to bed,” he said, his voice quiet. “Please.”

 

“Are you healed enough from the birth?”

 

“No,” Tim said. “But I want you to hold me again.”

 

Ra’s nodded and allowed Tim to pull him back onto the bed. Tim crawled up at once, snuggling into Ra’s’ side and burying himself in his mate’s scent. Ra’s took Tim in his arms and nuzzled his hair, breathing each other deeply until morning.

 

*

 

True to her word, Talia and Damian were gone the next day. Tim heard it all from Trina when she brought breakfast.

 

“Quite a stir, too,” Trina said as she bustled about. “They were all shocked that you could dominate her.”

 

“I was shocked myself,” Tim said truthfully. “I didn’t think she would do that.” He leaned back in his chair, Shiloh secure in his arms; Tim was rather unwilling to put her down right then.

 

Trina hummed a bit.

 

“She killed the others, didn’t she?”

 

Trina looked at him a long moment. Tim met her gaze, as did Shiloh.

 

“You are the pack omega,” Trina finally said. “So I am no longer bound to Talia’s secrets.”

 

“So she did.”

 

“Yes.” Trina picked up the dishes to wash. “She killed the other omegas in their beds, and their pups so that none of them would challenge her sister or pup’s claims. The Master never questioned me, so I could conceal it from him.”

 

“And from me.”

 

“Until now.” Trina smiled softly at Tim. “You may not appreciate it, but you have become the second most powerful person in this place, after him. Your scent has already changed...if you were to walk into Ra’s hall and sit down beside him, no one would even blink.”

 

“I might just do that,” Tim said. “If this is to be my pack, I should be among it, not sequestered away in training rooms and his bed.”

 

“Tomorrow,” Trina said. “I will need to find you something to wear.”

 

“All right,” Tim said. “I’ll tell him tonight.”

  
*

 

“I was thinking I should come with you tomorrow,” Tim said.

 

Ra’s glanced at him, amused. “Why the sudden interest?”

 

“I have declared myself the pack omega,” Tim said. “I should...meet the pack. Fully.”

 

“I am a bit concerned,” Ra’s said. “There are many alphas in my pack...I do not want any of them to harm you.”

 

“I know you won’t let them,” Tim said. “Please?” He nipped at Ra’s’ neck.

 

“All right, my love,” Ra’s said. “You may come. But Trina will care for the pup.”

 

“Shiloh,” Tim corrected.

 

“Shiloh,” Ra’s said. “Yes.”

 

“You won’t lock her up.”

 

“No,” Ra’s said. “She may prove valuable to me. But I will not expose her to my pack.”

 

Tim huffed. “She’s our daughter.”

 

“She is,” Ra’s agreed, which Tim took as a victory. “Which is why I would rather her be protected.”

 

“Fine,” Tim said.

 

Ra’s kissed him softly and Tim gave in.

 

*

 

Tim kept his head held high as he entered the hall on Ra’s’ arm.

 

There were quite a few people standing around the hall, all of them looking at them. Tim forced himself not to blush, remembering that the last time most of these people saw him was during his mating, naked and panting and screaming for cock. Still, none of them looked at him like he should be ashamed, so Tim tried not to be.

 

Ra’s led him to the raised platform and sat down on the large throne, pulling Tim down into his lap. Tim did blush at being held like a toy instead of sitting beside Ra’s as an equal, but there was no second throne, so he had to be content like this unless he wanted to stand all day or sit on the ground at Ra’s’ feet, which would be equally humiliating.

 

No one said a word about it. The assassins in the room merely waited as Ra’s started taking reports and giving assignments. Tim paid close attention to all the people who came in, what they said, who they had killed, who they would kill next. Within a few hours, he was fairly certain he could pin half the unsolved murders in Gotham to very specific people.

 

The day was fairly dull, but Tim was content enough. He didn’t speak until Ra’s declared the day done and carried him back up to their room. Tim wasn’t sure why, since he could walk, but he didn’t object at all.

 

Tim took Shiloh back from Trina with a nod the moment Ra’s set him down. Ra’s smiled a bit as Tim parted his robes and put the baby to his breast, though there was a faint line of worry between his eyes.

 

“Relax,” Tim said. “She only made me bleed the first day.”

 

“You will forgive my concern,” Ra’s said. “Besides, I prefer you full and healthy.”

 

Tim smiled a bit, no longer bristling at that sort of comment. “The doctor wasn’t concerned after that first time,” he said. “And she wouldn’t take formula.”

 

“All right.” Ra’s sat down at the table and Tim took the seat across from him. “And how did you like my work?”

 

“It’s interesting,” Tim said. “Though why did you assign that girl Prudence to the same family she had already killed the father of? Wouldn’t it be wise to send someone different in case she’s seen?”

 

Ra’s laughed. “My detective to the end,” he said. “I assigned her because I know she will not be seen, and because she knows the layout of the house already. And if she is caught, that is her own fault.”

 

“And you’re paid well for picking them off one by one.”

 

“Indeed. My contracts are never anything less.”

 

“I’m surprised you haven’t gotten one to kill Batman yet.”

 

Ra’s laughed again. “Oh, I have. Several, in fact. But he is a tricky mark...the price just keeps going up. I think by now, the only person in Gotham who could afford to hire an assassin for Batman is Bruce Wayne.”

 

“Which would be rather eccentric.”

 

“Yes, though not outside the realm of possibility...he might do it just to see how far we get.”

 

“Maybe when I’m done training, I’ll try it.”

 

“No.” Ra’s took Tim’s hand and kissed the knuckles. “I will not risk you. You beat Talia, yes, but only because she was unarmed and you were at an advantage. You would not be able to kill an alpha like him.”

 

“I suppose.” Tim sighed a bit. “Is that what you do every day?”

 

“Unless I feel the need to go into the field myself,” Ra’s said. “But that is quite rare these days. I trust my assassins, and if they fail, they either die out there or at once on their return.”

 

Tim shuddered a bit. “So you don’t want me to fail.”

 

“I do not, but I also do not believe you would.” Ra’s smiled again. “You are clever, Timothy...I am sure you gleaned more information today than most people would in a lifetime.”

 

“I did,” Tim said.

 

“Exactly. If I were to set you on a target, I have no doubt you would find a way to kill them without harming yourself and come back to me triumphant. But you are far more valuable as my mate than as another one of my assassins.”

 

“And if I were to go out into the field, being your mate would be more of a hindrance than an asset.”

 

“That too. Best for you to remain here, protected and loved, to raise our daughter.”

 

Tim nodded. “I would like to keep attending,” he said.

 

“I have no objection...though it will take a few days to get a second throne for you.”

 

“I don’t mind being in your lap.” Tim stopped a moment, marvelling at the words. He didn’t love Ra’s, but he did find that being so close to his mate was more comforting than distressing now. Maybe it was just the lingering hormones from his pregnancy making him feel more cuddly. 

 

“I know you do not,” Ra’s said. “But my knees might object. I am not a young man, after all.”

 

“That’s true,” Tim said. “That’s very, very true.”

 

*

 

Tim had been sitting in on the meetings for four days. He was still confined to his mate’s arms, though neither of them seemed to be in any particular hurry to change it.

 

He had learned more in the last four days than he had in the last year. And when had a full year passed? Tim was stunned when he realized it, shocked that he could have spent so much time here and not even noticed. Gotham was little more than a distant memory now; Tim could barely recall his father’s face, his mother’s scent, the cares and interests he had left behind when Nyssa took him. He knew now that no one was coming for him, knew that nobody was going to save him.

 

And parts of him, the hindmind that listened most strongly to his hormones, his breasts and cunt and cock, didn’t want to be saved anymore. Even when Tim thought about escape in his conscious rational mind, it was dismissed. He had Shiloh now, and while he didn’t think of her as a monster like Ra’s and Trina did, he realized that her presence would not be tolerated outside of Ra’s’ Cradle, that she would be scorned in the wider world. And he could hardly abandon her to save himself. Ra’s wouldn’t be able to kill her, but he could still make her life miserable.

 

Tim had been so deep in thought that he didn’t hear the last few reports. He didn’t look up until the door opened with a bang.

 

A large man in black and orange strode in, pulling off his mask as he approached. He had white hair and was missing an eye and stank of alpha power. He was followed by a young man, hardly older than Tim, tall and angry with a white streak in his hair.

 

Tim sat up straighter. He knew the boy’s face, knew his eyes, even if the size was wrong. He’d seen this boy many, many times, knew him almost as well as he knew himself.

 

“What is this?” Ra’s demanded.

 

The one-eyed alpha stopped. “A gift,” he said. “From Lady Talia.”

 

Ra’s raised his eyebrows. “Talia has been banished.”

 

‘I know,” the man said. “But she sent him anyway.”

 

Tim gently pushed Ra’s’ arm away and stood up. He stepped down from the dais. “Jason?” he said quietly. “Jason Todd?”

 

The boy started at being recognized, but he met Tim’s eye. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Tim nodded. “He stays,” he said.

 

“Timothy.”

 

Tim turned and glared at his mate. “He stays,” he declared again.

 

There was a tense moment, various scents competing for dominance, before Ra’s nodded. “As you wish.”


	7. Chapter 7

Jason followed Timothy Drake deep into the Cradle, head spinning. Being dead was disorienting enough; coming back to life only be be face to face with his greatest failure…

 

But Talia didn’t want Jason to fight with Bruce. She needed some sort of protection in Gotham, so when she found him right away instead of Batman, she sent him off with Deathstroke to join her father. He had thought she was trying to be kind, but somehow, he didn’t think so now.

 

Tim looked hardly older than he had a year before, though his breasts and hips had filled out a bit. He looked so certain in Ra’s’ arms, like they were a real couple, not a pervert and his toy. And Tim smelled like a real omega, able to control his alpha, able to actually command some respect.

 

Jason’s gut twisted as he looked at him. This wasn’t Timothy Drake. The boy may look like him, but he wasn’t the person Jason had wanted to save.

 

“I saw you,” Jason said suddenly. “The night Nyssa took you.”

 

Tim was quiet, not meeting his eye. “Batman didn’t come,” he said.

 

“I wanted to,” Jason said. “I told him to, I said we should…”

 

“But he said no.”

 

“Tim…”

 

“It doesn’t matter now.” Tim gave him a small smile. “I don’t need to be rescued.”

 

Jason stared. “But...Tim, he’s…”

 

“He’s my alpha,” Tim said. “Even if Batman does come, that will stay true...it’s best for us to stay here.”

 

They had reached a door near the top and Tim opened it, striding in like he owned the place. There was a matronly beta woman inside, sitting beside a cradle.

 

“Trina, you may go,” Tim said.

 

The beta woman nodded and left the room. Tim went to the cradle and reached down to pick up the baby inside.

 

Jason could only stare in disgust at the thing, tiny and pale with green veins and eyes and that smelled of rot. Tim didn’t seem overly bothered by it, sitting down in the rocking chair and parting his robes to nurse it.

 

“This is Shiloh,” Tim said casually.

 

“...right,” Jason said, unsure how he was supposed to react. “So...you can’t leave.”

 

“No,” Tim said. “I can’t...and I won’t. She’s safe here.”

 

Jason didn’t speak, unsure what he could even say.

 

“So tell me what happened,” Tim said. “In Gotham.”

 

“Joker killed me,” Jason said. “About a year ago? And then...I came back. So Talia sent me here.” He shrugged a bit. “There’s a new Robin now, anyway...a girl this time. Because we’re all replaceable...he doesn’t care about us.”

 

Tim hummed a bit. “I wanted be Robin once,” he said, his voice distant. “Before Ra’s...I followed you at night, trying to figure out who you were...I was almost certain when they took me. I always thought...I could join him...I wanted to be like you.”

 

Jason shook his head. “You don’t want that life,” he said. “Maybe it’s not as bad as what you’ve got, but it’s not just...running around making jokes with Batman. There was danger, real danger...he didn’t even understand that until I was gone.”

 

“It would be better than this,” Tim said. “Batman wouldn’t do this to me.” He nodded down at Shiloh.

 

“...you know he’s mated to Dick Grayson, right?”

 

Tim blinked. “I didn’t.”

 

“Well, he is...didn’t happen until Dick was barely legal, but it happened.”

 

“But...if he’s already mated…”

 

Jason sighed. “I don’t think he’d hurt you on purpose. But it doesn’t matter...even if he came now, you’re stuck.”

 

“Yes,” Tim said. “I am.” He gave Jason a very small, sad smile. “Don’t be sad for me...Ra’s...I don’t hate him. And he loves me...I know he does.”

 

“I wouldn’t call this love,” Jason said. “See how it is in ten years when you’re an adult...see if he still likes you when you aren’t a pretty little omega toy anymore. See what happens when he gets bored...when you no longer amuse him.”

 

Tim shrugged slightly and looked at the baby suckling his breast. “I hope to be dead by then.”

 

*

 

Jason smelled a lot like Shiloh. The same alpha musk masked by the rot of death.

 

Come to think on it, Ra’s had a lingering scent of death around him as well, though it wasn’t quite as heavy. It was probably the result of the Lazarus Pit; Tim wouldn’t be surprised if he smelled of it now as well.

 

Jason didn’t seem overly thrilled at being alive, though he excelled in the League of Assassins. Tim kept a close eye on him whenever he came back, hearing about Jason’s successes in Gotham and seeing Ra’s pleased by the young alpha.

 

Tim tried to hide that he was pleased as well, though he knew his mate picked up on it.

 

“You like Todd?” Ra’s asked one evening. It was about a year after Shiloh’s birth, though Tim had been unsuccessful in weaning her so far.

 

It took Tim a moment to really comprehend the question, mostly because his mate was busy kissing and biting over his neck and breasts. “I admired him as a child,” Tim said. “And I am glad he’s an asset to you.”

 

“You wanted me to keep him.”

 

“Throwing him back to the Bat wouldn’t have been very useful,” Tim said. “Especially once he’d been inside the Cradle...what if he brought Batman here?”

 

Ra’s laughed, lifting Tim’s wrist to bite it. “Batman knows where we are,” he said. “And if he wanted to try and challenge me, I would welcome him. I’m guessing he would get in two steps before he remembered his place.”

 

Tim shivered. “You mean…?”

 

“I have already established dominance over him,” Ra’s said. “And he has dominance over Todd, which puts the boy at the bottom of that order. And you’d do well to remember it.” He bit Tim’s other wrist, harder this time.

 

“I know,” Tim said with a small sigh. “I only wanted a…”

 

“A what, Timothy?” Ra’s leaned up and traced his tongue over Tim’s mating bite, almost threatening.

 

“A friend,” Tim said. “Someone...someone who loved Gotham like I did, once.”

 

Ra’s bit down and Tim cried out. “I’m sure we can find you a more appropriate companion,” he said. “For now, though...care for Shiloh, and serve me. That is your duty.”

 

“I know.”

 

“See that you don’t forget.”

 

*

 

Tim thought that would be the end of it, but it turned out Ra’s wasn’t finished. The next morning, Ra’s remained in the room until Tim had finished nursing Shiloh, watching his mate and pup with a hungry expression. Tim only smirked at him.

 

“Jealous?” Tim asked, a tinge of teasing in his voice.

 

“Not at all.” Ra’s petted Tim’s hair. “You’re beautiful with her.”

 

Tim settled into Ra’s embrace for the remainder of the time he spent with his pup. Once Shiloh was finished, though, Ra’s rang for Trina.

 

“Trina, take Shiloh.”

 

Trina took the baby and left the room. Tim looked up at his mate in confusion.

 

“Am I to dress myself today?” he asked.

 

“No,” Ra’s said. “I will dress you.” He set Tim down and went to the dresser. Tim settled back in the pillows, watching curiously.

 

Ra’s returned a minute later with a piercing needle. “I believe it’s time for this,” he said. “Relax and don’t move.”

 

Tim did his best to obey, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. The first ear was painful, but not awful. The second hurt a bit more, but he simply bit his lip and took it, feeling Ra’s slide earrings into the holes, heavy, thick things that made Tim’s head feel heavy.

 

Then Ra’s was on top of him, straddling his hips. Tim opened his eyes, staring up at him.

 

“Relax,” Ra’s said. “Just relax.” He leaned down and sucked at one of Tim’s nipples, making it stand up, red and hard. Tim whined, which turned into a scream as the needle went straight through it. A minute later, the needle came out and was replaced by a ring. Tim whimpered as Ra’s gave the other side the same treatment, piercing through both of Tim’s breasts and putting rings on them. Tim could only cry the entire time, feeling pained and helpless as his mate further claimed his body.

 

Ra’s kissed him gently before he produced a thin, short gold chain, which he attached to either of the nipple rings, pulling Tim’s breasts up painfully and keeping them there. Ra’s helped Tim sit up, which did help with the pull a little, but not much.

 

Next was a high gold choker necklace, studded with rubies. Well, more of a collar when Tim thought about it, tight around his neck, with a loop at the front. Ra’s ran another chain down from the collar to the other chain, forcing Tim to keep his head up. Then matching bracelets tight on his wrists, a chain running between them, long enough to allow him some movement but not enough to really struggle. Two more around his ankles, also chained, allowing him to walk but not much else.

 

His legs were pushed apart at the knees. Ra’s stroked Tim’s small cock, making his mate shiver, growing hard. Just before he reached completion, Ra’s let go and slid a spiral ring over Tim’s cock, keeping him from cumming. Tim moaned, his pussy already so slick, so open. Ra’s laughed and pressed his fingers inside, stroking him inside. Tim shook, wanting to cum, wanting something inside him. Ra’s didn’t disappoint. He reached down and produced a fairly good sized dildo, a silicone knot already built into it. It slid in easily and locked in place. Tim whined; it wasn’t the same thing, just close enough to drive him crazy. There was a small loop at the base of it, where Ra’s ran another chain up to join the others, keeping the toy in place.

 

Ra’s finally stood Tim up and wrapped one last chain around his waist. There was a sheer cloth on either side, reaching his knees, hiding most of his sex but still leaving very little to the imagination. Then Ra’s put rings on Tim’s fingers, heavy golden things that made his hands functionally useless even if they weren’t chained. A string of rubies were draped over Tim’s hair, almost a crown, even though Tim knew he was no queen, merely a slave. A toy.

 

And yet, even as Ra’s finished with him, Tim couldn’t help but look up at his mate, fluttering his lashes a bit. “All sorts of pretty things,” he gasped through the pain and pleasure jolting his body.

 

“For one pretty omega.” Ra’s kissed him, deep and possessive. Tim whined, unable to do much but lean into it. They finally broke apart. “Wait right here,” Ra’s said.

 

Tim sat down on the bed, feeling so full and dizzy and just a little bit humiliated. Who else would dress him in jewels and chains and still make him feel this precious?

 

Ra’s returned a few minutes later, dressed for the day. He picked Tim up, holding him close. Tim felt very off-balance, unable to use his hands to steady himself. Ra’s kissed him again before he carried Tim down to the throne room, settling with his omega on his lap, shown off to everyone in the room.

 

No one commented on Tim’s current state of undress, simply ignored him as always. Tim relaxed into Ra’s’ hold easily, letting himself be an object. Here for his mate to show off, nothing more.

 

It wasn’t until Ra’s started running his hand up and down Tim’s inner thigh that Tim opened his eyes again.

 

Jason was standing before them, half-glaring. Tim simply relaxed into Ra’s, though that was getting more difficult as his mate ran his other hand over Tim’s aching breasts.

 

“You sent for me?” Jason asked through gritted teeth.

 

“Yes.” Ra’s’ hand was practically under Tim’s skirt now, teasing at his upper leg. “I have received a very large and indispensable contract that I think would be perfect for you.”

 

“What contract?”

 

“It’s simple,” Ra’s said. He tugged on the chain between Tim’s breasts, making the omega cry out in pain and pleasure. Tim could feel his small cock hardening again in spite of the ring, his cunt dripping around the toy stuck inside him, though Ra’s didn’t seem to notice or care. “I want you to kill the Batman.”

 

Jason smirked. “It would be my pleasure.”

 

*

 

By the time Ra’s took him back to their room, Tim was desperate. His breasts and cock and cunt all ached, and being unable to move much didn’t help. He had tried to behave himself, but toward the end of the assembly he knew his hips were moving against Ra’s leg on their own, not helped by Ra’s continuing to pet his legs and breasts, almost absent-mindedly, simply reminding everyone in the room who Tim belonged to.

 

But finally, it ended and Tim was being hauled back upstairs. He didn’t object as his mate tossed him down on the bed, only gave Ra’s a pitiful look.

 

“Please,” Tim breathed.

 

Ra’s shoved the cloth aside, his hand between Tim’s legs at once, unchaining the toy and pulling it out. Tim moaned, straining up toward him, wishing his hands and legs were free. Ra’s only laughed at him.

 

“To think you once hated me touching you,” he whispered. “I knew you’d grow to love it.”

 

“Ra’s…” Tim whined.

 

“Oh, do you want me now?” Ra’s asked, pushing three fingers into Tim’s cunt. “Or would you rather wait until your heats start again?”

 

“Now!” Tim cried. “Ra’s, now!”

 

Ra’s pulled the chain between his breasts, hard, making Tim scream. His knees fell further apart and Tim let out a frustrated howl at how he couldn’t spread his legs the way he wanted. “Please,” he begged.

 

Ra’s took pity and unchained his ankles, letting Tim fully open himself to his mate. Ra’s pushed Tim’s hands up above his head and grabbed another chain, running it from the bedpost to the chain binding Tim’s wrists, keeping him helpless. Tim whined, pressing his hips up. Ra’s laughed again and unbuttoned his pants.

 

The first slide of his cock into Tim’s pussy had the omega crying from pleasure. Ra’s ran his mouth along the top of the collar on Tim’s neck, just enough for Tim to feel him there, making him cry more from the so-close but so-far sensation. One of Ra’s’ hands kept the chain between his breasts pulled tight and painful, while the other dug into Tim’s hip with bruising force. Tim could only moan at the pain, unable to move much at all, simply letting his mate pound into him hard and fast.

 

Tim came quickly, desperate, soaking, begging, eyes closed, tears streaking his cheeks, pain and pleasure and want and hate coalescing into something beyond thought or comprehension. Tim screamed, pressing up, and Ra’s groaned in response. Tim felt the knot forming, tying them together, keeping them close. After several minutes, Ra’s shuddered and fell on him, clutching his omega close. Tim tugged at the chains on his wrists, whining, wanting to touch his mate but unable to get free. After a moment of trying, Tim gave up, waiting for his mate to move off of his chest and undo the chains.

 

It took Ra’s several minutes to recover. Once he did, he let Tim’s hands free, but didn’t move off of him, his knot still tying them together. Tim ran his fingers through his mate’s hair, eyes closed, chest heaving from the pressure.

 

Ra’s kissed Tim’s chest. “I love you, Timothy,” he whispered.

 

“I know,” Tim sighed.


	8. Chapter 8

Tim was starting to worry. Shiloh was already thirteen months old, but she didn’t seem to be developing correctly. She had finally weaned, mostly thanks to the piercings Ra’s put into Tim’s breasts, but she didn’t seem to be getting much bigger and was barely starting to crawl.

 

“I don’t know what to do,” Tim confessed to Trina one evening. Ra’s was away, and Tim was taking some much-needed time with his daughter. “She should be moving more by now.”

 

“Some babies take longer than others,” Trina said. “And with her...difficulties...is it any wonder she’s one of them?”

 

“It’s not just that,” Tim said. “She doesn’t babble, either...she’ll cry if she’s hurt, but otherwise...nothing.”

 

“I can fetch the doctor,” Trina offered. “I know the master is concerned as well.”

 

Tim nodded. “It may be best...just...don’t tell Ra’s. I don’t want…” Tim stopped. He wanted to say he didn’t want to worry his mate, but it would be a lie. He didn’t care if Ra’s was worried. He was scared Ra’s would reject Shiloh, even now. Their bond was still very weak, mostly because Ra’s didn’t have time for a sickly, monstrous daughter, and Tim wasn’t going to trust it to hold if Ra’s decided Shiloh wasn’t worth keeping.

 

“Timothy…”

 

“It’s not something he needs to be concerned with,” Tim said. “Just a silly omega’s whim, that’s all.”

 

Trina nodded slowly. “As you say...I will ensure she is examined tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you,” Tim said.

 

*

 

The doctor didn’t find anything wrong with Shiloh; at least, nothing besides the obvious.

 

“I suspect it has to do with the Pit,” the doctor said, handing the baby back to Tim. She looked very grumpy and she immediately curled into Tim’s hold. “Unfortunately, I don’t have enough knowledge about its effects to really say much except that while Shiloh is developing slowly, she isn’t too far behind her peers, all things considered.”

 

Tim nodded; it was what he had expected. “Thank you, Doctor,” he said. “Is there anything else?”

 

“Not for her,” the doctor said. “But since I’m here, I should tell you that now that she’s weaned, your heats will be starting again soon and the master has asked me to do everything in my power to ensure your next pregnancy is easier than this one.”

 

Tim went a bit pink, but he nodded. “It would be appreciated,” he said. “I wouldn’t want him to be displeased.”

 

“No,” the doctor said. “Nor would I. He has requested some changes to your diet...Trina has already been informed. He has also asked me to give you a series of exercises to help you grow stronger and help avoid another incident.”

 

“Right,” Tim said. “What sort of changes and exercises?”

 

“Don’t worry about your diet,” the doctor said. “I approved all of it based on your age and weight. Exercises will begin at once...the master has ordered you go back to training.”

 

Tim nodded. “I see...and Shiloh?”

 

“Shiloh will be fine. You’ve trusted her with Trina until now.”

 

“I mean…” Tim took a breath. “If...if I do what he wants and we have a son...what will happen to her? I don’t want her to be forgotten.”

 

“The best thing you can do for yourself is to give him an heir,” the doctor said. “If you can do that, you will have a permanent high position in his pack.”

 

“I’m already his omega!”

 

“You’re still barely more than a pup. Establishing dominance over Talia only moved you into her position. Having an heir will bring you above her.”

 

“I don’t…” Tim was shaking. “I don’t want to...I can’t do this again!”

 

The doctor looked rather alarmed. “Trina!” he called.

 

A moment later, Trina was there, holding Tim close to her. “There now,” she said. “It’s all right, Timothy.”

 

“It’s not,” Tim said. “It’s not...everything...I never wanted to be this. I never wanted to just push out babies for some alpha...I don’t want…”

 

“Timothy,” Trina said. “I know the situation is...well, it’s not easy for you. I know that you are very young, and that the master is…”

 

“A dick,” Tim supplied.

 

“Strict,” Trina said. “But he does love you, Timothy. And he wants what’s best for you...he wants you to succeed. We all want you to succeed.”

 

“Because he’ll kill both of you too,” Tim said. “I know how this works...if I fail, you’re punished. What if I never have an heir? What if I just keep having girls, or omegas, until I can’t have any more? What if I do have an heir for him and he has no further use for me?” He swallowed. “Trina...what if he falls out of love with me?”

 

“Oh, Timothy,” she said. “Do you really think he’s loved every omega he’s ever bedded? A mate is just another duty for him.”

 

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

 

“Yes,” Trina said firmly. “He doesn’t fall in love easily. The fact that he did fall in love with you, enough to save you and Shiloh...that means something for him. If you give him an alpha son, you will be exalted...worshipped. You will have everything you want, when you want...you won’t even have to ask him. Just crook your finger and he will fall to his knees for you.” Trina pulled back. “So. We’re going to start the treatments first thing tomorrow. With any luck, by the time the master returns, you’ll be ready for him.”

 

Tim nodded shakily. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll do my duty to him.”

 

*

 

Tim wasn’t sure if he was being met with derision or amusement the next day when he went down to the training halls. Ra’s hadn’t ordered a specific trainer for him, just left instructions with the doctor. Tim could have found an empty room, of course, but...well, he was starting to get lonely.

 

Most of the assassins ignored him, but a few did glance his way. Tim flushed at once, feeling much less certain of his place among them without Ra’s by his side. He wondered if being surrounded by alphas was a good idea, or if he would have been better off remaining sequestered away from them.

 

Then again, it wasn’t like any of them really smelled like Ra’s. Tim kept his head down and moved to a corner of the room to start stretching, missing his alpha.

 

To his surprise, he was soon joined by Nyssa al-Ghul, looking rather smug. “Good morning, Timothy,” she said.

 

“Nyssa,” Tim said with a nod. “It’s been a while.”

 

“So sorry...I’ve been on missions almost constantly since I dropped you off.”

 

Tim grunted, anger flaring in his chest as he remembered how easily she’d picked him up off the roof and brought him here. “Missions to steal more helpless omegas from their families?” he snapped.

 

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Nyssa said. “I did you a favor, you know...swept you away before the Batman could claim you...gave you a mate you can really be proud of. And look at you now! A mother, and the pack omega, and you’re only what, seventeen?”

 

“Fifteen,” Tim said. “For the next two months.”

 

“Either way, you’re in a position most omegas could only dream about. You should be thanking me.”

 

Tim only grunted again. “Or you should be thanking me,” he said. “I did get rid of your rival.”

 

“You did do that,” Nyssa said. “Bit of a pity...Talia is a good sister. But not having her pup here will make things easier.”

 

“You aren’t worried about mine?”

 

“I was never going to be the heir,” Nyssa said. “My father is rather old-fashioned...thinks that women, even alpha women, aren’t worthy to lead his pack. But I do have a few more privileges now that I’ve brought him a worthy mate. And once you do have his alpha son, I’ll be receive even more!”

 

“I wish everyone’s lives didn’t revolve around my uterus,” Tim grumbled.

 

“Unfortunately, it’s what you’re here for,” Nyssa said. “Come now...my father did give me his instructions before he left, so let’s see about getting you back in shape...goodness knows that having a baby and then spending a year lounging around won’t have done your body any favors.”

 

Tim sighed and finished stretching. “Swords or mats?” he asked.

 

“Neither,” Nyssa said. “I’m going to start you on the bo staff.”

 

*

 

Nyssa was surprisingly less aggressive than her sister, though Tim was still sore when he returned to his chambers that night. It seemed that Nyssa was right in thinking the last two years mostly lying in bed or across Ra’s’ lap had made him soft.

 

He ate what Trina gave him mechanically, wishing that Ra’s was there. “How long will he be gone?” Tim asked.

 

“It’s hard to say,” Trina said. “When the master goes off somewhere, he’s gone until his business is finished. I do know he hopes to return before your heat.”

 

Tim nodded. “Has Shiloh been fed?”

 

“Yes, and she’s already asleep.” Trina gave Tim one of her matronly smiles. “I have to say, she is a very quiet child.”

 

“I’d like her in here with me until Ra’s returns,” Tim said. 

 

Trina nodded. “I will fetch her.”

 

Tim finished eating and washed quickly after. Within a few hours, he was laying exhausted in bed, his pup cuddled into his chest. Tim breathed deep, feeling much calmer now, Shiloh’s sweet scent pervading his nose.

 

Ra’s would come home soon, and when he did, everything would be fine. Until then, Tim would do everything to prove his worth, to be a good omega. After all, Nyssa was right.

 

That was all Tim was good for now.

 

*

 

Ra’s was gone for over a month. In that time, Tim quickly refound his fighting skills, mastering the bo staff faster than he had the sword. Nyssa was a good teacher, patient and encouraging, though whether it was her own pride or simply fear of damaging her father’s mate, Tim wasn’t certain.

 

It was a few weeks before Tim turned sixteen when Ra’s finally returned. The moment his mate walked through the door, Tim was on him, jumping up into his arms to kiss him. Ra’s embraced him in return, but it was with much less energy than usual.

 

“Was your journey unsuccessful?” Tim asked quietly.

 

“I fear it was,” Ra’s said. “Did you guess what I was doing?”

 

Tim reached up, playing absently with Ra’s’ hair. “You’re getting older,” he said. “Handsome as ever, but you had far less stamina the last time you made love to me. You are eager for me to go back into heat and very desperate for me to be pregnant again. You cut off Shiloh’s weaning rather abruptly, Trina has been giving me herbs and roots that are rumored to increase the chances of having a boy, and you told Nyssa to up my strength and hopefully the alpha pheromones in the mix as well. You fear that you are going to die soon, and the Pit under the Cradle has been expended...probably because much of it went into Shiloh when you threw us in. Conclusion, you were looking for another Lazarus Pit, in the hopes that it would extend your life, but you wanted to be prepared with an heir if you didn’t find one.”

 

Ra’s smiled and kissed Tim deeper. “Very good, detective,” he said. “I do not begrudge our daughter her gift, but it has made it...difficult. I have lived and died enough times to know when my end is near, and I can feel it coming now. I believe I have a year, perhaps two, before I grow too old and weak to be of any use. You will forgive me for my interference in your body, but since you sent Damian away, there is no heir in place when I go.”

 

Tim shifted a bit. “I could recall him,” he said. “It was Talia I really wanted to be rid of.”

 

“No,” Ra’s said. “We have time yet. If we are unsuccessful on our next attempt, I will come up with an alternate solution, but for now it is best not to incur Talia’s wrath further by taking her son from her.”

 

Tim nodded, leaning on Ra’s’ chest a bit. “And what will happen to me when you die?” he asked. “Since you didn’t find a new Pit…”

 

“Do not weep for me, beloved. I have lived long enough that I can accept the inevitable. As to what will become of you, I would not fear. After all, even if we have an heir before my time comes, I will not live to see him grow into the alpha of the pack. Which means that there will be some amount of time when you will lead it...unless someone tries to reclaim you, but I trust Nyssa to keep them at bay.”

 

“Or to mate me herself to keep everything safe,” Tim said, only half-joking.

 

“Perhaps,” Ra’s said. “Either way, you will be cared for, and our son will one day lead the League of Assassins. And I know both of you will make me proud.”

 

“And...if we don’t have a son?”

 

“Then I suspect that there will be a challenge for you,” Ra’s said. “And whoever wins it will take my place. But I hope it does not come to that.”

 

Tim nodded and kissed Ra’s again. “I hope not, either,” he said. “I don’t want to ever replace you.” He smiled coyly and took Ra’s’ hands. “Come to bed, alpha, and let me welcome you home.”

 

“You would waste my remaining strength when you are not yet in heat?”

 

“You aren’t dying yet. And it is possible to conceive out of heat...especially since you’ve been putting in things to increase my fertility as well.”

 

Ra’s smiled and let Tim pull him to bed. They fell down together, kissing gently now. Tim let his hands wander a bit before he pushed Ra’s over onto his back. Ra’s smirked up at him.

 

“Feeling adventurous, beloved?”

 

“Well,” Tim said, teasing in his voice. “Since you’re apparently so old but I’m still in the bloom of my youth, I figured it would be only fair for me to do the work for once.”

 

Ra’s laughed at that. “Well, then, show me what you have learned.”

 

“Oh, have you been teaching me?” Tim said, still mocking. “With your vast experience?”

 

Ra’s ran his hands over Tim’s hips, feeling where they had filled out from his pregnancy. “I have taken more omegas to my bed than you can imagine,” he said. “I would hope I could have taught you something.”

 

“Hm.” Tim ran his hands down Ra’s chest, undoing clasps as he went. “Most of my actual education has come from your pack. Or did you expect me to learn by example?”

 

“You are a smart boy,” Ra’s purred as Tim stripped him. “I would expect you to pick up on a few things.”

 

“Perhaps,” Tim said. “But you must tell me if I have learned wrong, like any good teacher.”

 

“You may depend on that,” Ra’s promised. 

 

Tim smiled and leaned down, his lips caressing the side of his alpha’s neck. It was still unblemished; Tim had never brought himself to claim his mate the way he had been claimed, but now…

 

“Patience, beloved,” Ra’s whispered, as though reading his thoughts. “Your heat should return soon...and if you wish to mark me, I have no objection.”

 

Tim nodded and sucked a hickey into the spot. “Just to remember,” he whispered back before kissing down lower.

 

This was new as well, Tim realized as he finished undressing his mate. Even in the throes of his wildest heat, he had never used his mouth on Ra’s. Usually, their mating was simple, occasionally more daring, but Tim usually wasn’t giving so much as tolerating it.

 

Now, though...now that their time could be short, now that Tim was facing the possibility of life without his alpha…

 

Now, Tim wanted it. Now that he was going to lose it, Tim wanted everything he could get from his mate.

 

Ra’s’ hand tangled in Tim’s hair as he leaned down and took him in his mouth. Tim hummed a little, going slowly for now, letting the alpha’s cock in inch by inch. Ra’s didn’t push, simply let Tim control the pace, his breathing slow and heavy.

 

It wasn’t as unpleasant as Tim feared it would be. The scent of his mate was strong here, the taste salt and musk and almost sweet, in the same rotting way anyone touched by the Lazarus Pit was sweet. Tim closed his eyes, moving his head slowly, savoring this, savoring Ra’s.

 

“Timothy,” Ra’s breathed in warning after a few minutes of slow sucks and kisses. 

 

Tim pulled off and smiled at Ra’s. “Yes, my love?”

 

Ra’s pulled him up by the hair and kissed him. “I am so old that if you continue, there won’t be much left for you,” he warned.

 

“You can always return the favor,” Tim teased. “If a strong alpha like you can bring himself to do it.”

 

Ra’s half-smiled, though his eyes turned feral. “Do not test me, beloved,” he growled. “If you give me access to your cunt beyond simple mating, you will regret it.”

 

“I thought you already had that,” Tim said. “You didn’t have mating in mind in the hall after you gave me these.” He tugged at the rings in his nipples teasingly. “And I’m curious about what you could really do to me after all of that.”

 

Ra’s growled, his grip in Tim’s hair tightening as his other hand moved to Tim’s hip, pushing him forward. Tim gasped in delight as Ra’s dragged him up, leaning up and catching Tim’s tiny cock in his mouth, engulfing the entire thing all at once. Tim moaned, his hips jerking forward, cunt moistening with every movement Ra’s made. Ra’s squeezed his hips hard, almost bruising, making Tim cry out even more.

 

It only took a few minutes before Tim’s hips were stuttering, his cock jerking hard as he came. Ra’s pulled back with a satisfied smirk. “Care to retract that permission?” he asked.

 

Tim leaned down and kissed Ra’s again, deep and dirty. “Never,” he breathed. “You’ve just made me want you more.” He slid down until he was positioned just over Ra’s cock. “At least, my cunt wants you.”

 

Ra’s laughed lowly before he pulled Tim down onto his cock slowly. Tim sank willingly, moaning as he did. “I told you you would learn to love me,” Ra’s whispered as Tim started moving, riding his alpha’s cock like it was the only thing he ever wanted to do again.

 

“You did,” Tim agreed. “I think it just took some perspective.” He gasped as Ra’s pushed up, hard. 

 

“Is that what you call it?” Ra’s teased.

 

“Mhm,” Tim hummed. His eyes were closed, his body moving on instinct. “If you call this love, I can call your death perspective.”

 

Ra’s reached up, tugging at the rings in Tim’s breasts. Tim moaned at the sensation, grinding down further on his mate. “I suppose that is fair,” Ra’s said. “Perhaps I should announce my imminent demise more often if this is the result.”

 

“Maybe I’ll try to kill you myself,” Tim teased. 

 

“A happy result either way,” Ra’s mused. “If you succeed, you put me out of my misery, and if you fail, I get you on my cock. I might even pay my own price for that.”

 

“What is your price?” Tim gasped.

 

“Higher than Batman’s, I assure you. But if you were my assassin, I might just let you kill me...after you have my heir.”

 

Tim leaned down to kiss him again, softer this time. “Only if I thought it would ease your passing,” he said. “The price for losing you is higher than the price for killing you.”

 

Ra’s kissed him in turn, almost tenderly. “Is it fear or love that keeps you from trying before then?”

  
  
  
  
  


“Is there a difference in your world?”

 

“I know which I prefer from you.”

 

“Then you can be assured of both.”

 

“Oh, Timothy.” Ra’s ran his hand down Tim’s body, soft and loving. “I do not want you to fear me...you are my mate. The mother of my child, the one who will bear my heir...I only wish for you to love me.”

 

“And I do,” Tim said. “But you are feared by all...why should I be different?”

 

“Because you own me.” Ra’s shifted, sitting up to hold Tim in his arms. Tim moved to accommodate, melting into the embrace. “You command me, in ways most could never hope to do. You are perfect, beloved...so perfect for me.”

 

“Only because you made me this way,” Tim whispered.

 

“Only because you were meant to be mine.”


	9. Chapter 9

To Tim’s surprise, Ra’s followed him to the training room the next day. Not that Tim objected--he was very reluctant to be far from his mate now.

 

No one seemed surprised to see Ra’s there; all anyone did was bow respectfully at him before going back to work. Tim headed to the corner where Nyssa was waiting, though she dropped her staff at once.

 

“Father,” she said. “I didn’t realize you had returned.”

 

“You will forgive me for not informing you at once,” Ra’s said. “I was detained.” He smiled at Tim.

 

Nyssa’s eyes swept over them and Tim blushed. Ra’s’ cape hid most of the bites Tim had left on him, but Tim’s training clothes did not hide his. “I can see that,” she said drily.

 

“And how was your student?” Ra’s asked.

 

“Excellent,” Nyssa said. “I think the staff is his weapon. But you can test for yourself.”

 

“I think I will.” Ra’s threw off his cape carelessly. Tim blushed deeper, but Ra’s didn’t seem embarrassed as he picked up Nyssa’s staff. Tim took his own and went into position.

 

They circled each other for a moment, the air between them crackling with tension. Ra’s took the first attack, striking quickly at Tim’s side. Tim deflected him easily and spun out of reach, a smirk teasing around his lips.

 

He struck back and Ra’s blocked him with the same sort of tease, a mere tap to send Tim’s staff away. They circled again, eyes blazing, before Tim leaped and turned over in the air, striking out at Ra’s hard.

 

Ra’s spun with him, striking back and sending Tim to the ground. Tim was up at once, swinging with more grace than force, showing off. Ra’s laughed at him, hitting back with his full strength and sending Tim stumbling back.

 

“You do not need to impress me, beloved,” Ra’s said as Tim caught himself and started circling again.

 

“Don’t I?” Tim asked. “I would think I need to impress you more.”

 

“You are more than enough on your own.” Ra’s lunged forward and Tim swung up to deflect him. They were very close now, only their staffs keeping them apart. “You do not need to show me anything.”

 

“Perhaps I was merely distracting you,” Tim whispered. “After all, you’re so much more powerful than me...I have to use my head against you.”

 

“And what does your head tell you to do?”

 

Tim smirked up at Ra’s before he pushed back. Ra’s stumbled back and Tim was on him, knocking his alpha to the ground with a quick turn and jab. Ra’s looked up from the ground, a pleased smile on his lips.

 

“Very good,” Ra’s said, before he kicked out and swept Tim’s legs out from under him, sending his mate sprawling beside him. “But do not get too close to a defeated opponent.”

 

Tim laughed, not moving. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he promised.

 

“Good.” Ra’s kissed him, mindless of the others in the hall.

 

And for once, Tim didn’t mind either.

 

*

 

It seemed that a switch had been flipped. Ra’s was now taking a personal hand in Tim’s training, in combat, in history, in running a pack and all sorts of...everything.

 

Tim felt he was busier than he’d ever been in his life, putting all of his energy into committing all of Ra’s’ teaching to memory. He barely got time with Shiloh anymore, being pulled from lesson to lesson without stop from morning to night.

 

And even at night, he was still very busy keeping his mate happy.

 

There was finally a rest three weeks later. Tim woke up, later than usual and pleasantly sore from the night before, with Ra’s curled around his back, already kissing at his neck.

 

“Morning,” Tim murmured, eyes still closed and a slight smile on his face.

 

“Good morning, beloved.” Ra’s nipped at Tim’s jawline, making him gasp. “And happy birthday.”

 

Tim’s smile grew as he turned over. “You remembered,” he said.

 

“Of course.” Ra’s kissed him properly this time, wrapping Tim in his arms. “Sweet sixteen, hm?”

 

“But definitely kissed.”

 

“As often as you want.”

 

“As often as  _ you _ want.”

 

“Do we disagree on the matter anymore?”

 

“Perhaps not as much.” Tim kissed Ra’s in turn. “And what’s on the agenda today? Going to teach me six hundred ways to poison someone without them noticing?”

 

“I believe you have already mastered that,” Ra’s said. “And I was planning to let you rest today...you have been overtaxed the past few weeks.”

 

“You were the one taxing me,” Tim teased.

 

“You will forgive me, beloved, but when a man is running out of time, he becomes preoccupied with ensuring his successor has all the tools he needs to continue. Since my successor has not yet been born, I need to pass those on to you, in the hope that you will manage my pack until our son is ready.”

 

Tim hummed a bit. “I understand,” he said. “May I see Shiloh today? I’ve missed her since we’ve been so busy.”

 

“Of course,” Ra’s said. “I will have Trina bring her after breakfast.”

 

As soon as Shiloh was in the room, she reached for Tim. Tim took her from Trina at once and inhaled her sweet scent. “Hello, sweetheart,” he murmured.

 

“Ma!” Shiloh said in delight.

 

Tim glanced up, grinning. “You hear that?” he asked Ra’s.

 

“I did,” Ra’s said. “Has she been speaking long?”

 

“Started in the last two weeks,” Trina reported. “Not advanced yet, but…”

 

“I’m glad,” Tim said, cuddling Shiloh closer. “I was worried.”

 

“Ma!” Shiloh squeezed Tim’s neck as much as she could at her size. Tim breathed deeper; he had missed his daughter.

 

“You’re dismissed,” he said. Trina nodded and left the room. Ra’s moved closer. “I said you’re dismissed,” Tim repeated.

  
  
  


Ra’s stopped, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

 

Tim looked back at him. “Did I stutter?”

 

“I would have thought…”

 

“You thought wrong.” Tim didn’t know why, but he wanted Ra’s out. Wanted his mate to go away so he could be alone with his pup, wanted that heavy alpha scent as far away as possible. “And I believe you have work to do.”

 

Ra’s studied him for a moment before he glanced at Shiloh, who was glaring at Ra’s and clinging to Tim’s neck. Slowly, Ra’s nodded. “I will see you this evening,” he said, and left the room.

 

As soon as the door closed, Shiloh relaxed in Tim’s hold. “Ma,” she said again.

 

Tim smiled as well, relaxing as he held her. “Yes,” he said. “I’m your mom.” He bounced Shiloh on his knee for a moment as she started babbling baby talk at him. Tim listened to it, exclaiming over every sound and the occasional comprehensible word, feeling proud and calm and so, so happy.

 

*

 

The day was more peaceful than Tim had known since he had arrived at the Cradle. Shiloh was happy to spend the whole day with him, the two of them playing with whatever toys Tim could lay his hands on, half-forgotten simple games from childhood, and Tim couldn’t imagine anything nicer. Shiloh was still having trouble walking, but Tim was no longer worried. Everything felt fine.

 

It all came crashing down the moment Ra’s came back in that evening. “It is time for her to return to the nursery,” Ra’s declared.

 

Shiloh started screaming at once. “No!” she shouted. “No da!”

 

Tim scooped Shiloh up from the ground. “Shiloh, sweetheart,” he said patiently. “It’s time for little pups to be asleep.”

 

“No!” Shiloh clung to Tim. “Ma!”

 

“Shiloh…”

 

“Ma!”

 

Tim sighed. “I guess we’d better keep her with us tonight,” he said.

 

Ra’s frowned. “I will not have her spoiled.”

 

“She’s a year old, Ra’s, she doesn’t get spoiled.”

 

“Ma!” Shiloh pulled back to glare at Ra’s again. “No da!”

 

“I think she’s jealous,” Tim said. “You’ve been taking up all my time lately.”

 

“Timothy…”

 

“It’s one night, Ra’s.”

 

“One night will turn into every night. You are too soft with her.”

 

“She’s a baby!” Anger flared in Tim’s chest, anger like he hadn’t felt in months. “I won’t do what Talia did...I won’t push her away because of your antiquated notions!”

 

“Your duty is to me, not some monstrous whelp!”

 

“She’s your whelp as well! Maybe if you actually spent time with her, she wouldn’t react like this!”

 

Shiloh started screaming again, a high piercing shriek that made both her parents flinch. Tim shifted her at once, trying to sooth her.

 

“Let go of her.”

 

“Ra’s--!”

 

“I said, let go.” Ra’s took a step forward and Tim suddenly remembered just how dangerous his mate was. “I have indulged you long enough, but you cannot be so close that she has this reaction.”

 

There was silence for a moment, both Tim and Shiloh looking at Ra’s in fear and anger, before Ra’s reached out and pulled Shiloh from Tim’s grasp. Shiloh started screaming again at once as Ra’s carried her out of the room. Tim took a moment before he followed.

 

“Ra’s…”

 

Ra’s turned around and struck Tim across the face. Tim fell, shocked and hurting. His mate glared a moment before he turned and continued down the hall, Shiloh’s wails echoing off the stone walls until the nursery door finally closed.

 

Tim didn’t rise from the floor, too stunned to really process what had happened. Everything had been so good, so...happy. And now…

 

Now, Ra’s would hate him. Ra’s would throw him out, or reject Shiloh, or...or…

 

A few minutes later, there were footsteps in the fall. Tim looked up as Ra’s stopped in front of him, gazing down at his mate before he knelt down and picked Tim up off the floor.

 

“I do apologize, beloved,” Ra’s said as he carried Tim back to their room. “You were out of control...I did not intend to hurt you, merely keep you from doing more harm.”

 

“Harm?” Tim repeated.

 

“To myself, or to Shiloh. It is clear that being separated upset you.”

 

“It was upsetting her...she doesn’t get enough attention from me anymore.”

 

“Trina looks after her well.”

 

“I’m her mother!”

 

“And you are a wonderful mother. But you cannot spend all your days hovering over her.”

 

“I’ve barely seen her in three weeks!”

 

“You have been occupied in your duties to me. And one day, she will understand that.”

 

“She’s a baby!”

 

“Enough.” Ra’s laid Tim down on the bed, glaring again. “You have your place, and Shiloh has hers. And you would both do well to remember that.”

 

“Again, baby.”

 

“Even babies grow. The sooner she is taught, the stronger the lesson will be. I indulged you today out of kindness. Do not make me regret doing so.”

 

Tim stared at his mate for a long moment before he nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t know what came over me.”

 

“Nothing more than the weakness of your presentation,” Ra’s said. “You are forgiven.”

 

“Thank you.” Tim reached out. “Let me make it up to you?”

 

Ra’s smirked and let Tim pull him to bed.

 

*

 

Neither of them mentioned that night again, though Tim found himself practically walking on eggshells around Ra’s for the next few months. He didn’t see his pup in that time--instead, Ra’s kept him busy with his training, working him harder than ever, until all Tim wanted to do in the evenings was fall into bed and let his mate use him until he passed out.

 

Tim could tell Ra’s was getting impatient. The doses of herbs and medicines slipped into Tim’s food were increasing, the exercises growing more intense. Tim wanted to go into heat, wanted to please his mate, wanted to grow heavy with another pup. He couldn’t stand the Ra’s who was emerging right then, this angry, brutal Ra’s, so different from the man who had come back from searching for immortality, the man who made love to Tim and seemed like he actually meant it.

 

Not that Tim said anything about it. He merely threw himself into his training, hoping to please his mate enough that he might relent and give his pup back, or at least be gentler in the evenings.

 

It came to a head three months after Tim turned sixteen. He and Ra’s were back in the hall, listening to reports. Tim was starting to feel panicked, and needy, and so restless it was all he could do to keep his dignity and hold still through the morning.

 

He barely heard a word anyone said until the doors banged open and Jason Todd strode in, looking smug and reeking of power. Tim sat up straighter, his attention piqued.

 

“Todd,” Ra’s said with a nod. “Was your task successful?”

 

“It was,” Jason said. “Batman is dead.”


	10. Chapter 10

Tim’s breath caught. It had been nearly three years, he had long given up hope, and yet…

 

And yet…

 

He barely had time to look up before heat suddenly spiked through him, burning hot. Tim gasped and fell from his seat, vision blurred, his nose oversensitive. It wasn’t until he felt the slick start pouring down his legs that he realized what had happened.

 

Ra’s turned at once. “Well done,” he called over his shoulder as he picked Tim up. “Come...I must deal with this, but I still want your full report.”

 

“Now?” Jason asked, following them down the hall.

 

Tim cried out, the unfamiliar alpha scent upsetting his senses. He curled closer to Ra’s, seeking his mate’s scent.

 

“Yes, now,” Ra’s said. “The news may have upset my mate, but it is too important to wait.”

 

“He’s in heat!”

 

“I realized that. It is not surprising, I fully induced him yesterday...apparently, it just took an emotional surge to finish it.” Ra’s tossed Tim on the bed as soon as they got to their room. Tim pawed at his mate until Ra’s caught his hands, holding them still. Tim whined.

 

Jason stood in the doorway, watching with a mixture of disgust and curiosity on his face. “You probably heard about Darkseid’s attack,” Jason said.

 

“I was monitoring the situation.”

 

“I figured...wasn’t hard to make sure Batman got in the middle of it. Not hard to make sure he couldn’t get out. Bit of fire, major explosion...world’s save and Batman is a smoldering skeleton.”

 

Tim screamed, arching up. Ra’s took pity and tore Tim’s robes open, leaving him fully exposed on the bed. “And you are certain it was Bruce Wayne?”

 

“Positive as I could be without stealing the bones, and Robin got in the way...she wasn’t part of the contract and I didn’t want anyone to know I was involved.”

 

Ra’s glanced at Tim, struggling in his hold. Tim arched again, trying to make himself more appealing than the news. “Is Robin still in Gotham?” Ra’s asked.

 

Jason nodded. “I suspect she’ll keep trying to be a hero...Nightwing will be out of commission for a while, losing a mate and all, but Robin won’t stop.” Jason glanced at Tim, writhing in Ra’s’ hold. “And...you should know Talia took Damian to Bruce before. So there’s that as well.”

 

Ra’s sighed. “I had hoped they would stay out of it,” he said. He stood up abruptly. “You have done well, Todd...keep this one occupied until I get back. I need to give urgent instructions and I cannot have him overheat and die.”

 

Jason blinked, staring at Tim. “I…”

 

“I have seen how you look at him...I know you desire him. And I suspect he desired you before I claimed him.” Ra’s smirked at Tim, who reached out and caught Ra’s’ cape, begging without words for him to stay. “Think of it as a reward.”

 

Jason swallowed and stepped forward. “I…”

 

“You may not knot him, but you may service him as you see fit. I will return as soon as I can.” Ra’s tugged his cape out of Tim’s hold and swept from the room.

 

Tim howled in protest as Ra’s left the room. Jason was at his side as soon as the door closed, pushing Tim back on the bed. “Shh,” Jason whispered. “It’s okay...I’ll take care of you.”

 

Tim whimpered, pressing toward the alpha scent. Jason smelled sharp and unfamiliar, but still so good. Jason climbed up on the bed and hovered beside Tim for a moment before he leaned down and buried his nose in Tim’s neck, inhaling his sweet scent. Tim whined more, the scent of an inferior alpha surrounding him.

 

With all the training he’d been doing, flipping Jason onto his back was easy. Jason grunted in surprise, looking up at Tim. Tim didn’t pay him any mind, going for his pants at once and letting Jason’s cock out. Jason was already hard from the scent of an omega in heat.

 

“Tim,” Jason warned.

 

Tim could only whine. His cunt was dripping, slick falling down to Jason’s overheated skin, animal instinct completely in control. Jason groaned and dragged Tim forward by the hips, until his cunt was directly over Jason’s face. Jason leaned up and plunged his tongue inside, sucking at Tim and pulling more and more slick out of him.

 

Tim screamed at the sensation, grinding down into Jason’s mouth. Jason moaned against him, tongue moving rapidly inside him. Tim fisted his own small cock quickly, and it didn’t take long before he came, screaming and shaking and it wasn’t enough, wasn’t nearly enough.

 

He pulled off Jason impatiently, drawing a whine from the alpha, but he didn’t care. He needed to be fucked, needed to be filled and bred, and he didn’t care who did it now. He moved down and slid down on Jason’s cock, eyes closed in bliss as he did.

 

“Tim…” Jason moaned again as Tim started moving, his pace frantic as he rode Jason’s cock.

 

Tim kissed him to silence him, tasting his own slick on Jason’s mouth and tongue. Jason didn’t seem to be in a much better state, thrusting up into Tim with the same frenzy. The scent in the room changed, became deeper, darker, the scent of a rut overtaking Jason’s body.

 

It was enough to send Tim over the edge, screaming through his second orgasm and spasming hard on Jason’s cock. Jason cried out as well, pressing up and twitching as he started to cum, the knot starting to form…

 

“Enough.”

 

Tim looked over his shoulder. Ra’s was back, standing in the doorway, his face a mixture of amusement and rage as he watched the scene in front of him. Tim whined, reaching for his mate though he couldn’t bring himself to move off of Jason. Jason made an odd noise, half growl and half whine.

 

Ra’s stepped across the room and yanked Tim off of Jason. Tim screamed again as he felt himself tear from the sudden removal. Jason whined, his cock not flagging for a moment.

 

“Weak,” Ra’s said. “I should have known you would both be weak.” He pulled Tim down off the bed and bent him over it. Tim spread his legs at once, slick and cum pouring from his cunt and down his legs. He barely had a moment to prepare before Ra’s breached him, fucking him harder than Jason could have hoped.

 

Jason sat up, watching them with frenzied eyes. Tim reached out and managed to get his hand around Jason and started stroking, paying special attention to the ever-growing knot. Ra’s chuckled, increasing the pace.

 

“I should have realized that a pair of pups would be unable to resist,” Ra’s said. “I think you forgot, Todd...this is mine.” He gave a particularly hard thrust, making Tim scream again. “And when I choose to share it, I expect you to obey my orders.”

 

Jason whimpered. “Please,” he said. “He smelled and tasted so good…” He moved closer, letting Tim get a better grip on his cock.

 

“Oh, I know.” Ra’s thrust hard again and Tim screamed himself hoarse, tears pouring down his cheeks. “He is absolutely perfect...as though I would accept anything less.”

 

Jason nodded, dazed. “Please,” he said.

 

Ra’s ignored him, continuing to fuck Tim hard and fast and Tim couldn’t even scream anymore, just lay on the bed with Jason fucking into his hand at a similar pace. Tim barely noticed his next orgasm; he was shaking so much it just felt like more and more…

 

Ra’s’ knot was filling him now, locking them in place. Jason groaned, still hard and not flagging. “Please!” Jason screamed.

 

“You may have his mouth,” Ra’s said. “Enough to sooth your mind. After that, you are welcome to find whatever partner you desire outside this room.”

 

Tim whined, opening his mouth, helpless to do anything else. Jason moved forward at once and shoved his cock in roughly. Tim couldn’t even suck at him, just lie there and take it as Jason pounded his throat. He was still trembling, the flood of small orgasms no longer pleasurable, just painful and oversensitizing, Ra’s still locked inside him. Jason pushed all the way in, his knot pressing against Tim’s lips as he came, hand fisted in Tim’s hair. Tim choked on the copious amounts of cum Jason was pumping into him, the tears faster now.

 

It seemed to go on forever before Jason finally pulled out. Tim started coughing almost at once, sobs wracking through him. Jason smelled less frantic, though, and he petted Tim’s hair tenderly for a moment before he got up and left the room, no doubt to find someone else to work out the rest of his rut in. Ra’s had the decency to wait until Jason was gone before he moved again, getting both himself and Tim on the bed properly, arms a vice around Tim’s waist to keep him in place.

 

Tim breathed deeply, amazed he was still conscious. His heat had abated enough for his mind to be coming back, though he knew as soon as Ra’s pulled out he’d be back in a frenzy. He wished that he could have just blacked out like he normally did, but either because of the drugs or simply getting older, he couldn’t.

 

Ra’s was petting his chest now, fingers tweaking at the rings. Tim moaned, turning his head to look at him. “Alpha…” he groaned.

 

“You forgot your place,” Ra’s whispered.

 

“You left me,” Tim said back, but he didn’t sound angry, just small and scared. “I needed something...and he’s inferior to you. I could smell it.”

 

Ra’s hummed. “That is true,” he said. “Forgive me for leaving you with him...but it really could not wait.”

 

“I know,” Tim said. He shifted and managed to turn over with the knot inside him, though it was rather painful. He wound his legs over Ra’s hips, pressing himself closer. “But you’re here now...so enjoy this.” He leaned forward, running his mouth over Ra’s’ neck.

 

Ra’s’ breath quickened. “Timothy…”

 

“I’m yours,” Tim murmured before he bit down and worried a mating mark into Ra’s’ neck. Ra’s gasped, eyes wide as Tim finished. “And you’re mine.”

 

“Yes,” Ra’s said. “I am yours.”

 

*

 

The heat continued for the next several days, though Tim was far more lucid through it than he had been in the past. He was glad of it, happy to feel his mate on him, in him, surrounding him.

 

Tim woke the morning after it ended, feeling content and satiated. He rolled over and smiled at his mate, who was just starting to stir.

 

“Morning,” Tim whispered, kissing him.

 

Ra’s made a very tired noise as he kissed back. “You will be the death of me, beloved.”

 

“Can’t think of a better way to go,” Tim said. “But you can relax now. I’m finished for the moment.”

 

“Good.” Ra’s sighed heavily. “I am far too old for this anymore.”

 

“You rallied remarkably well throughout,” Tim said. “Maybe you’ve misjudged how much time you have left.”

 

“One could only hope.” Ra’s sat up, clearly in worse shape than Tim was for once. “Come, beloved...we cannot lounge about all day.”

 

Tim sighed and got up, going to wash away the evidence of his heat. He could only hope it would be enough.

 

It became clear that it was more than enough a month later, when Tim had to suddenly bolt from the training hall to throw up. Ra’s followed, looking worried. “Timothy?”

 

“Sorry,” Tim gasped when he had finished. “Sorry...please…”

 

“Come with me.”

 

The tests were no more dignified than they had been before, but the doctor looked relieved when he finished. “Congratulations, Timothy.”

 

Tim smiled as Ra’s kissed him. “Thank you, doctor,” Tim said. “And am I to be sequestered away for this one as well?”

 

“I don’t believe it would be beneficial,” the doctor said. “You are accustomed to other alphas now, and there are no rival omegas around. I think it would be better for you to continue as you are...though with less fighting, of course.”

 

Tim nodded. “All right.” He glanced at Ra’s. “And Shiloh?”

 

“It would probably be best for her to know and understand there will be another pup soon.”

 

Ra’s sighed. “Very well,” he said. “I will have her brought in every day.”

 

Tim hid his smile at the victory. “Thank you,” he said again. 

 

“I will be monitoring you more closely,” the doctor said. “You are still very young to be a mother, and it’s only been a year and a half since the first one. It should be easier, but we don’t want to take chances.”

 

“I understand,” Tim said. “You’re dismissed.”

 

The doctor nodded and left the room.

 

*

 

It wasn’t as boring this time around. Sure, Tim wasn’t sparring as often, but he was still getting more exercise, and he could apply his learning to critiquing the assassins from a corner with Ra’s.

 

Three months into the pregnancy, Ra’s took him down to the training hall and ordered everyone to line up. The assassins all looked confused, but did as they were told. There were about twenty of them in the room, people Tim knew by sight if not name, people he had been watching for almost six months.

 

Ra’s led Tim by the arm to the front of the line. “Now, beloved,” he said. “How would you kill each of these people?”

 

Tim raised an eyebrow, but turned, pointing as he walked down the line and spoke. “Poison,” he said. “Swords, after a long fight. Exhaustion. Starvation. Slow torture.” He listed them off, naming the one thing that made each of them freeze in fear, until he finished and turned to his mate. “How did I do?”

 

“Perfectly,” Ra’s said. “But there is one you forgot.” He turned and took his place, last in line. “How would you kill me, beloved?”

 

Tim smiled softly and leaned in to kiss him, uncaring of the looks he was receiving. “I’d break your heart,” he whispered. “I will love you until the moment of your passing...and then I would tell you it was all a lie.”

 

Ra’s smiled at him in pride, and Tim knew he had passed.


	11. Chapter 11

Stephanie wasn’t stupid, no matter what her...brothers? Co-workers? Whatever...said. She knew Bruce wasn’t dead. She knew that it was wrong, and even if she wasn’t a detective like Bruce, or a policeman like Dick, or...whatever the hell was going on with Jason, she could figure out what.

 

The problem was Dick didn’t want to hear it. Which was how Steph found herself out in the cold, her costume taken from her and passed off to Bruce’s hellspawn, looking for someone to help her prove it wasn’t over.

 

She ignored the voice in her head that said it was and that she really was just being stupid.

 

Jason met her at the end of an alleyway. Not that they had arranged it, exactly, but Steph had a feeling Jason had heard about her unceremonious firing somehow. He regarded her with a long looking, flicking ash off the end of his cigarette.

 

“You know he’s not dead,” Steph said without preamble. “You know that he’s still out there.”

 

“Even if I did know that, I’m hardly going to say anything. I’m already in enough trouble.”

 

“Come on, Jay, you can’t think Dick would be mad at us for bringing him back…”

 

“It’s not Dick I’m worried about.”

 

Steph blinked. “Huh?”

 

“You know who I was working for. You put it together.”

 

“Ra’s gave you an impossible task that he knew you’d fail--so what?”

 

“Ra’s is looking for any excuse to kill me again, and he’d probably know how to do it. And right now, I might be the only person who can think about opposing him.”

 

“Why do you care?”

 

Jason sighed. “What did Bruce tell you about his past work?”

 

“Not much,” Steph admitted. “He tended to keep things on a need-to-know basis...I didn’t even know how you died for almost a year.”

 

“Right...so you didn’t hear about the time he chose not to save someone.”

 

Steph blinked. “What?”

 

“There was someone he chose not to save...I don’t know if he could have, but he didn’t even try. And now I’m trying to fix that.” Jason studied her closely. “And you might be able to help me.”

 

“I don’t have time for your pet project, Jason. I need…”

 

“You need to find Bruce, and Ra’s could help you do that. He can get you anywhere in the world, and all it takes is a bit of reconnaissance and possible murder. I need you to help me rescue someone, and that someone happens to be Ra’s’ mate. Win-win all around.”

 

“Ra’s has a mate?”

 

“Yes. His name is Timothy Drake and he’s...sixteen, I think? And he was even younger when Ra’s took him.”

 

Steph’s disgust must have shown on her face, because Jason nodded. “I know,” he sighed.

 

“He’s a damn kid, and Bruce just…?”

 

“Bruce thought that he’d be killed within the year. But apparently, Ra’s...I wouldn’t call it love, it’s too fucked up for that, but Ra’s at least pretends to care about him...when he’s not treating him like a whore.”

 

Steph studied Jason closely. “You slept with him.” It wasn’t a question.

 

“I helped with his last heat. And Ra’s kicked me out immediately after...I can’t go back, especially if we’re going to tell him Batman’s still alive. But you...you could go in. You could help.”

 

“I’m a beta, Jay...there’s not much I could do to break the bond.”

 

“No, but you can at least...help Tim. Convince him it’s not right...that he can have a life outside of it. He needs a friend, Steph...someone who isn’t just another one of Ra’s’ sycophants.”

 

Steph sighed. “All right,” she said. “If you help me save Bruce, I’ll help you save Tim.”

 

Jason shook her hand. “Deal.”

 

*

 

Tim was starting to get bored. Sure, he was out and about, even as he started showing, but he missed being able to spar, and Ra’s’ presence was starting to be stifling.

 

It was another day in the main hall, listening to reports and wondering if they would ever end, when the door banged open (as usual) and three of the assassins came in, dragging a girl behind them.

 

Tim couldn’t even bother sitting up straight. The girl didn’t look very interesting, a golden-haired beta in a silly outfit, no doubt some superhero Ra’s wanted to interrogate.

 

“Who is this?” Ra’s asked.

 

The girl pushed off the assassins and glared.

 

“The Red Robin,” one of the assassins, who Tim vaguely recalled was called Owens, said. “One of the Bat’s old partners...she’s been getting in the way a lot.”

 

“And yet she lives.”

 

The three assassins shifted. “She insisted on seeing you,” the one called Pru said. “And she’s...slippery.”

 

The Red Robin rolled her eyes and stepped forward. She looked to be a year or two older than Tim, and her eyes kept flicking toward him. “I’ve come to join you,” she said.

 

Ra’s raised his eyebrows. “A Bat, joining me? This is...unexpected. And which one are you?”

 

“I was Robin,” she said. “But now that...now that Bruce Wayne is gone, his omega has taken the mantle of Batman...and he didn’t want me.”

 

“I see,” Ra’s said. “So have you come here to seek vengeance on him?”

 

“No,” Red Robin said. “I’ve come because I know Bruce Wayne isn’t dead.”

 

The hall burst into whispers. Tim did sit up at that, staring at the girl closely.

 

“What makes you say that?” Ra’s said.

 

“I was there when he fell,” Red Robin said. “I saw what happened and...I know Bruce. I know he wouldn’t let himself be tricked that easily...no matter what the Red Hood did. I think he’s still out there...lost in time or space or...something. And I want to find him.”

 

Ra’s studied Red Robin closely. Tim was looking at her too, brow furrowed.

 

“What is your name?” Ra’s asked. “Your true name.”

 

She swallowed. “Stephanie Brown.”

 

Ra’s turned to Tim. “What do you think, beloved?”

 

Tim swallowed. “We should help her,” he said. “If Bruce Wayne is still alive, it would be to our advantage to help him...he would be in our debt. And I think that Miss Brown would be an asset to us, if she can elude your assassins until she wants to be caught.” He allowed himself a small smile. “Besides, I think she’d amuse me.”

 

Ra’s took Tim’s hand and kissed the knuckles. “As you wish,” he said. “You may take charge of her work, if it pleases you.”

 

“I believe I will,” Tim said. He stood up and stepped down. “Come, Red Robin...you have much to learn.” He held out his hand.

 

Stephanie Brown looked at him a moment before she reached out and accepted it.

 

*

 

Stephanie didn’t look particularly happy as Tim took her through the halls. Tim supposed he understood that--he couldn’t exactly blame her for not wanting to be treated like a pet or a doll he had needled out of his mate. Still, it meant she didn’t end up dead, so Tim would take the victory.

 

He took her to the nursery, a place Ra’s avoided as much as possible. He nodded to Trina. “Dismissed,” he said.

 

She nodded and left.

 

“Ma!” Shiloh reached out for Tim at once and he scooped her into his arms, scenting her. Stephanie was watching with the same expression of disgust and horror Jason had always had around Shiloh, but Tim could ignore that.

 

“Why are you really here?” Tim asked, settling in the rocking chair with Shiloh in his arms.

 

“I told you...I need to save Batman.”

 

“So why come to us?” Tim looked at her severely. “You’re clearly smart enough to find him on your own...why get involved in all this?”

 

“Because Ra’s has resources I don’t,” Stephanie said. “At least, not without Batman’s help, and he won’t help me.”

 

“Bruce was his mate!”

 

“You knew about that?”

 

“Jason told me...I’d think Dick Grayson would be doing everything in his power to get him back.”

 

Stephanie shrugged. “He’s occupied...even if Bruce is alive, he’s far enough away that it feels like the bond broke. His hormones are going nuts and he’s got Bruce’s son to look after...and from what I gathered, it wasn’t exactly a happy mating to begin with.”

 

Tim nodded, looking a bit sad. “I see.”

 

Stephanie looked at him, her face full of pity. “Tim…”

 

“I will do what I can for you...but my influence will only go so far. Ra’s is more...suggestible these days, but I don’t pretend to control him.”

 

“Of course you don’t!” Stephanie burst out. “You’re a child!”

 

Tim shook his head. “I’m the omega of this pack,” he said. “I’m the mother of his heirs...and he’s mine as much as I am his. I know you don’t approve...that Jason doesn’t approve...but...I’m happy.” He snuggled Shiloh closer and heard her tiny puppy sigh of contentment.

 

Stephanie stared for a moment before she nodded. “How can I help?” she asked, her voice quiet.

 

“Obey him,” Tim said. “Learn from him...please him. And he will help you.”

 

Stephanie nodded. “Okay.”

 

*

 

Stephanie was in and out over the next several months, seeming to take Tim’s words to heart. Tim was glad of it--he didn’t know what he would do if she were to be angry or rebellious like Jason.

 

When she was back at the Cradle, she spent most of her time with Tim. For the first few months, Tim trained her, mostly by instruction from the sidelines. He told her everything he felt she needed to know about Ra’s, everything he thought his mate wouldn’t mind her knowing. She learned quickly, her time as Robin clearly not wasted, both her combat skills and her memory almost as good as Tim’s.

 

“Batman trained you well,” Tim said one day, a few weeks in.

 

Stephanie shrugged. “He saw potential in me,” she said. “Didn’t want to waste it. And after Jason...he needed help.”

 

Tim nodded. They sat down by a wall and Tim passed her a bottle of water. “Did you like being Robin?”

 

She nodded. “I did...it...it gave me a sense of worth. Of purpose.” She swallowed heavily. “Bruce...he saw me as worthy of help. He made me feel like...like I could be someone.”

 

“I wanted to be Robin when I was a child,” Tim said.

 

“Yeah...it’s...it’s great, actually...well, it’s both great and horrible. Depending on the day.”

 

“Jason didn’t like it.”

 

“Jason and Bruce had a lot of problems, death not included...but Jason was Robin right when he was going through puberty. Too busy trying to be an alpha to really get good at being Robin.”

 

“I guess...and you?”

 

“I was lucky...and...and me and Bruce were good together. Right combination...no fights for dominance and no latent sexual attraction. Just...partners.”

 

“That sounds nice.”

 

“It was.” Stephanie sniffed a bit. “And then...Dick just took it away.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I couldn’t let go of Bruce...because I tried to take care of Gotham alone and I sucked at it. And because...because he wants Damian to be his partner. He wants to take care of Bruce’s pup since they didn’t have any of their own. And I’m not...I’m nothing like Bruce. And Bruce is who he wants.”

 

Tim reached out and wrapped an arm around her. Stephanie stiffened for a moment before she curled into Tim’s embrace, trying not to cry.

 

“I’m sorry,” Tim said.

 

“Just...hope that he never doesn’t want you,” Steph said. “Being rejected from your pack...it’s awful.”

 

Tim nodded and held her closer.

 

*

 

Tim was back on bedrest in his seventh month. Ra’s hovered more than ever, reluctant to let anyone into the room. It was only by Tim’s insistence that Shiloh was allowed in for an hour a day, and when Stephanie next returned, they came close to shouting about whether she would be allowed in to report. It was only when Tim pointed out that Steph annoyed Ra’s too much for him to handle her himself that Ra’s relented, and  he did leave the room as soon as Steph walked in.

 

But Tim was glad Steph was there. He had missed people his own age, even though he felt far older than sixteen now. When she was allowed back in after the fight, she plopped down in a chair next to him, looking exhausted.

 

“Good mission?” Tim asked.

 

“Finished it, anyway,” Steph said. “Got a lead on Batman, and Dick has completely lost track of me. I’d say it’s going really well.”

 

Tim smiled. “I’m glad.”

 

Steph grinned at him. “And how’s life for the perpetually pregnant?” she asked.

 

Tim pouted. “I’m not always pregnant!”

 

“Just since I met you?”

 

“This is only two.”

 

“In as many years.”

 

Tim shrugged. “It’s going better than the last one, anyway.”

 

“So...the whole...green veins and freaky eyes thing…?”

 

“Not her fault.” Tim took a deep breath. “I had a premature labor and the steps Ra’s took to save us...changed her. But...she’s still a baby. She’s just a bit slower and looks different.”

 

“She’s…”

 

“I know they all call her a monster when they think I’m not listening,” Tim said. “I know that they’re...afraid and disgusted by her. But she’s sweet, really...loving. Just like any other pup...just...half-dead, I guess.”

 

“And you aren’t worried about what happens when she grows up?”

 

“I am,” Tim admitted. He glanced at the doorway. “I...I didn’t used to be, but…Ra’s is afraid he won’t live much longer, and I am, too. He’s the only thing standing between Shiloh and their judgment. I know they can’t kill her, but they can hurt her, and...and she shouldn’t be mistreated because of how she is.”

 

Steph nodded slowly. “Sorry,” she said. “I know how much you love her.”

 

“She’s my baby,” Tim said. “And I don’t want her to feel neglected when her brother comes.”

 

Steph smiled. “So it is a boy?”

 

Tim nodded. “An alpha boy, like he wants...a proper heir. And he won’t let anything stop this one from being born properly.”

 

“Good.” Steph shifted a bit. “So...have you left this place in...ever?”

 

“No,” Tim said, realizing it for the first time. “I haven’t been outside since I came here...three years ago.” He glanced at his hands, pale and almost skeletal. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it...the window is open when it’s warm enough, I get...fresh air and sunshine that way.”

 

“You’re from Gotham?”

 

“Yes,” Tim said. “So it’s not like I’m used to having clear skies all the time.”

 

“Still…”

 

“I’m fine,” Tim said. “Really.” He settled back into the pillows at the headboard. “Unless there’s pressing gossip I need to know?” Even to his own ears, he sounded more hopeful than dismissive.

 

Steph must have noticed, because she grinned and settled in. “Three years, huh?” she said. “Well, I can tell you all about the Joker’s last few attempts to destroy the city…”

 

Tim smiled and leaned closer as Steph started chattering away about Gotham, its people, its rogues, Batman, Robin...everything Tim had missed.

 

Now, perhaps more than ever.

 

*

 

Tim went into labor two days after his seventeenth birthday.

 

Steph was with him, thankfully, and she had the doctor at his side in minutes. “Should I get Ra’s?” she asked.

 

“No,” Tim gasped between contractions. “Just let him know it’s happening.”

 

“And Shiloh?”

 

“Trina will look after her.” Tim breathed deeper, doing his best to stay calm. “Just...come back when you’ve informed him. Please.”

 

Steph nodded and slipped out of the room. The doctor gave Tim an encouraging smile. “He’s coming easier than Shiloh did,” he said. “Just breathe.”

 

Steph returned just as Tim really started screaming. She took his hand, her gentle beta scent helping to calm him. She didn’t quite smell like family yet, but Tim had a feeling she would soon.

 

“Tell me about Gotham,” Tim begged. “Not just...the fighting and weirdness. Just tell me about home.”

 

Steph petted Tim’s hair. “She’s still so beautiful, Tim,” she said quietly. “Maybe more than when...when you left. Wayne Enterprises has put a lot of effort into her...she’s starting to heal a little. Renovations and new rent control laws...I think…” She took a breath. “That’s why I want Bruce back...because he can save her. He’s already done so much for Gotham...for all of us.”

 

Tim nodded and then screamed again. “I...I want…” he gasped.

 

“Push!”

 

His grip on Steph’s hand tightened, his train of thought derailed. Steph squeezed back. “You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” she said, clearly quoting something Tim wasn’t familiar with.

 

Tim screamed and pushed again. It took several more minutes of pain and blood and general effort before it finally ended. Tim fell back, panting, as the squall of a newborn took over the room.

 

“And here he is.” Tim reached out and took the offered pup, putting him to his breast at once.

 

“He’s beautiful, Tim.”

 

Tim looked down. The baby was tiny, red-faced and looked very cross to be in the wider world. Tim smiled at him. “Ezra,” he said. “His name will be Ezra.”

 

Steph grinned. “It’s a beautiful name.” She looked hesitant.

 

“Fetch Ra’s,” Tim said to the doctor.

 

The doctor nodded and left the room. In the moment they were alone, Steph leaned over.

 

“He looks…”

 

“Shh,” Tim said. “He looks like me, just darker.” He gave her a look that said she wasn’t to contradict him.

 

Steph nodded slowly. “All right...but if he…”

 

“He won’t question it,” Tim said. “He needs an heir, and there’s no need to rock the boat.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Ra’s came in, looking overjoyed as he went to the bed. Tim smiled up at him. “This is Ezra,” he said brightly.

 

Ra’s leaned down and kissed his mate. “He is perfect,” Ra’s declared. “My perfect son.” He gave both Tim and Steph a look that just dared them to contradict him.

 

“He is beautiful, sir,” Steph said. “You are very lucky.” She stood up. “I should get going...I have a few leads to follow up on.”

 

Ra’s nodded in dismissal and Steph hurried out of the room. Tim smiled and closed his eyes, his son suckling at his breast, feeling joy and contentment that he had done his duty.


	12. Chapter 12

Shiloh was enthralled when she was finally allowed in to see her brother.

 

“This is Ezra,” Tim said, letting Shiloh up on the bed to cuddle up to them both.

 

“Ez,” Shiloh said. She poked at the baby’s cheek curiously. Ezra made a spit bubble at her.

 

Tim couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, Ezra,” he said. “Your baby brother.”

 

Shiloh cocked her head, looking at Ezra closely. Ezra gazed back, his blue eyes hazy and unfocused as they met Shiloh’s blank green. After a moment, Ezra made a contented cooing noise at her and Shiloh grinned.

 

Tim glanced at Ra’s, who was hovering nearby and watching in consternation. “I think they like each other,” he said.

 

“I am...gratified to see that,” Ra’s said.

 

Tim clicked his tongue at him. “Would you rather Shiloh be trying to murder him already?”

 

“It did not harm Talia and Nyssa to have a bit of rivalry.”

 

Tim rolled his eyes. “The less like Talia Shiloh is, the happier I’ll be.”

 

“Still...Shiloh is walking on her own now. It is time to begin her training.”

 

“She’s two!”

 

“Yes? That is when my other children began. And since she seems to be taken with her brother, I believe it would be beneficial to train her as his guard...after all, I cannot have my heir harmed.”

 

“Ra’s…”

 

“Timothy.” Ra’s’ expression turned hard. “I have allowed you to be soft with her thus far. I have indulged your omega whims and your liberal upbringing until now. But Shiloh is not some innocent little baby you can raise to be sweet and spoiled. She is an al-Ghul, as is Ezra, and they will both be trained in the ways of their pack. Is that understood?”

 

Tim glared for a moment, but finally relented. “Yes,” he said. “I understand.” He glanced at Shiloh, who had curled in closer to him, and kissed the top of her head, wishing he could save her from this.

 

*

 

Steph disappeared about six months after Ezra’s birth. Tim questioned Ra’s about it briefly, and the answers were not satisfactory.

 

“She lost her spleen and then you threw her out a window?” Tim repeated.

 

“She was annoying me,” Ra’s said. “And she survived it. And by now, she is back in Gotham, and running Wayne Enterprises...a pity, since I had interest in acquiring the business.”

 

“And you aren’t planning to kill her later?”

 

Ra’s raised his eyebrows. “Do you really believe I would?”

 

“...yes,” Tim said. “Killing people to try and destroy Gotham is kind of your thing.”

 

Ra’s did laugh at that. “It is tempting,” Ra’s admitted. “But I know you are fond of her, and I would not want to cause you distress. And in spite of her failings, she does amuse me, as you said, and she does have potential. I am very interested to see where her career goes.”

 

Tim hummed a bit. “I will miss her,” he said.

  
“I know you will,” Ra’s said. “But I do believe you will see her again...when I am gone, you will need all the allies you can get, and she may prove an invaluable one.”

 

“I believe she will,” Tim said. “And did she find the Batman?”

 

“No, but I have heard she was right. I suspect he will be returning soon...and I will be ready for him.”

 

Tim sighed. “Can’t you just leave it?” he asked. “Ra’s...you’re old. Maybe it’s time…”

 

“Do not concern yourself. I will not be going into the field myself.”

 

“Batman isn’t the worst problem we have.”

 

“No, but he is the second-most irritating after your friend. I would rest easier knowing that he would not get in your way.”

 

“I think I’m clever enough to avoid him,” Tim said. “And if not, I will deal with him.”

 

*

 

Tim sat by the wall with Ezra in his arms, watching Shiloh as she took the knife from her father.

 

He supposed he should be glad Ra’s was trying to bond with their daughter, but he could still feel his stomach twisting as he saw his two-year old learning to use a weapon. The knife was small, but it still looked huge in her chubby baby fingers, her pudgy little legs still wobbly as Ra’s started to instruct her on how to move with it.

 

Not that Shiloh seemed to mind. Other than occasionally wrinkling her nose at Ra’s being so close, she looked perfectly happy to be playing this game. Tim sighed a bit; he knew that Shiloh was too young to really understand what she was doing, what she was learning, and it weighed on him that his baby girl was already being turned into a weapon.

 

Still, he had to admit that Ra’s might have a point. Shiloh would make a good guard for her brother when she grew up and learned more. She couldn’t be killed, and she was devoted to Ezra. Tim could see it whenever he was allowed in the nursery, how Shiloh hovered over her baby brother and babbled away, her speech less babyish than it had been.

 

And maybe if Shiloh was permanently assigned to protect her brother, she would never have to become an actual assassin.

 

Tim shifted as Ezra started fussing, looking down at his son with a soft smile. The child was beautiful, and devoted to his mother. Tim supposed it was natural, since Ra’s didn’t seem to have time for children, though he did wonder if it was simply the fact that Ra’s…

 

Well. Ra’s did not smell like Ezra’s father. They never talked about it, never mentioned that Ezra’s scent was different, never discussed how Ezra looked less and less like Ra’s every day.

 

Tim knew Ra’s knew, and Ra’s wasn’t saying anything, clearly more concerned with having an heir than fighting with Tim about his parentage. It wasn’t like Tim had chosen it anyway; really, Ra’s had no one to blame but himself.

 

The best that they could hope for was for no one else to notice before Ezra was old enough to take over leadership of the pack. That Tim would be able to keep control until then, that no one would challenge them. It was a long shot, but…

 

Tim looked at Ra’s, watching as he instructed Shiloh. He was definitely looking older, less energetic, less...imposing. Tim cuddled his baby closer, wishing that they could have more time. Maybe it wasn’t love, but it was all Tim really knew anymore.

 

*

 

“Timothy!”

 

Tim turned. Slade Wilson was walking toward him, his scent stinking up the entire hall. Tim bristled--while Slade was loyal to Ra’s, he was still far too close to Talia for Tim’s liking.

 

“What do you want?” Tim asked coldly. He had been on his way back to his quarters after his usual training round, while Ra’s was handling a stack of reports that had come in.

 

Slade stopped and gave Tim a small smile. “I merely wanted to speak with you,” he said, no touch of defensiveness in his voice. Then again, if Slade wanted to harm Tim, it wouldn’t even take much effort. “I’ve heard some rumors recently and wanted to...update my information.”

 

Tim turned and kept walking. “Whatever Talia’s told you is probably a lie.”

 

“This didn’t come from Talia...a little birdy mentioned that a certain demon might lose its head soon.”

 

Tim froze. Ra’s had done his best to ensure no one outside his immediate circle knew that his end was coming. The only people who had been told were Tim, Nyssa, the doctor…

 

And Steph. Tim had mentioned it once, just once, he thought he could trust her…

 

“Did Red Robin tell you this directly?” Tim asked, his mind racing. If Steph had betrayed Ra’s, even on accident…

 

“No,” Slade said. “Red Robin does not speak to me aside from her childish insults. However, she does still report to Batman, and Batman does tell things to Nightwing and Nightwing is...persuadable.”

 

“Nightwing’s information has passed through a number of sources,” Tim said carefully. “And it is out of date. I assure you that Ra’s is in perfect health.”

 

“Come now,” Slade said. “You don’t need to keep secrets from me...after all, before your son was born, I was favored as the heir. It is my duty to know how he fares.”

 

“You are not his heir,” Tim said. “And it isn’t your concern.” He walked faster.

 

Slade moved in front of him, blocking Tim’s path easily, the alpha scent sharper. “You may have born a son, but it isn’t his,” Slade hissed. “You can try to pass him off, you can even call him the heir, but he is no more an al-Ghul than you are. You’re just an omega whore Nyssa picked up off the street, and I will tell you this--I will not bow to you, or to your bastard.” He stepped back slightly, but didn’t move. “So let me make this clear--this pack will be mine. You will be mine. Your pups will be mine. And if you resist, there will be consequences. Is that understood?”

 

Tim stared at Slade before he stood up fully, the scent of an angry omega spiking through the room, cutting through Slade’s alpha musk. “Perhaps you don’t appreciate it,” Tim snarled. “But I am the omega of this pack. It is mine. Ra’s is mine. And you will not have me, no matter how much you threaten my pups. Now get out of my way before I throw you out like I did Talia.”

 

Slade glared at him. Tim glared right back, their scents both spiking and competing for dominance until Slade finally stepped aside. “This isn’t over,” he hissed. “I gave you the chance to do it the easy way...but I’m fine with the hard way.”

 

“So am I,” Tim said, and swept away.

 

As soon as he was out of sight of Slade, Tim broke into a run, rushing to the nursery. He needed to see his pups, needed their sweet scents to remind him they were safe, that Ra’s wouldn’t let anything happen to them, that they would grow up to be healthy and powerful as their father planned.

 

Trina noticed Tim’s distress right away, had probably scented it the moment Tim was in the hallway. She handed Ezra to him at once. Shiloh rushed over and hugged him. Tim held and scent his babies for a minute before Trina gathered all of them in her arms. 

 

“There now,” she said. “What’s the matter, love?”

 

“Slade Wilson is already plotting,” Tim said. “He heard a rumor that...that Ra’s won’t be around much longer and...he’s already trying to claim me.” He clutched Ezra and Shiloh closer. “Trina...he knows.”

 

Trina hugged him tighter, her calm beta scent soothing Tim’s tears. “The master won’t allow anything to happen,” she assured him. “Even if his time is close, he won’t allow himself to go until he is certain you and his children are safe.”

 

“He can’t promise anything when he’s...when he’s not here.”

 

“No, but he will do everything he can while he is.” Trina pulled away a bit. “Don’t dwell on what may come, Timothy...enjoy your time while you still have it.”

 

Tim nodded. Ezra was starting to fuss and Tim moved to the rocking chair, parting his robes and putting his son to his breast. Shiloh crawled over, sitting on the floor and clinging to Tim’s leg tightly. Tim reached down with one hand and petted her hair a bit. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

 

“Ma,” Shiloh said. “Ez in trouble?”

 

“No,” Tim said. “We’ll keep Ezra safe. Promise.”

 

Shiloh only clung tighter.

 

*

 

Tim kept an eye out over the next several months, but Slade made no moves against him or Ra’s. Probably just biding his time, but Tim was grateful that he didn’t have to try and fight the alpha quite yet.

 

He stuck close to Ra’s, though, not allowing himself to be out of his mate’s sight for more than a few minutes at a time. It wasn’t just fear, at least, not of Slade. Tim knew that Trina was right, that he needed to enjoy his time with his mate while he could.

 

Not that Ra’s objected. While he didn’t seem as fearful as Tim, he did seem to want to enjoy the time they had remaining. They sat together in their hall, sparred together, trained Shiloh together. They made love almost every night as soon as Tim was allowed, their pace frantic even as their hands remained gentle. 

 

It still wasn’t enough.

 

Ezra was just over a year old, barely weaned off Tim’s breast. Tim and Ra’s were sitting in the hall, listening to reports. Well, Ra’s was listening. Tim was worrying.

 

Ra’s hadn’t been training with Tim and Shiloh for the last two weeks, instead electing to spend his time with Ezra while Tim took their daughter. Tim didn’t mind much, but he didn’t want to be away from them too long, and it was only Ra’s’ frowns that made Tim keep Shiloh in the training room for the dictated hour. Ra’s had also turned Tim away the last few nights, not even coming to bed but instead going to...wherever Ra’s went when Tim threw him out.

 

Even now, Ra’s seemed...Tim didn’t want to say old, but...tired. Less attentive than usual. Tim found himself watching him closely as the day wore on, his hand on Ra’s’ arm. Ra’s didn’t seem to notice.

 

They were almost finished when Ra’s’ eyes closed and he fell from his seat. Tim was on his feet immediately.

 

“Get a doctor!” he snapped to the nearest person. They scrambled to obey, the room breaking into noise. Tim ignored it, kneeling down beside his mate and desperately searching for a pulse.

 

There. He was alive, at least for the moment. It took barely a few minutes before a doctor came in. Tim moved away, waiting...waiting…

 

Nyssa materialized next to him. They didn’t speak, didn’t touch, just waited until several of the assassins had brought a stretcher and moved Ra’s out of the hall. Tim hesitated barely a moment before he followed, Nyssa hurrying along beside him.

 

They moved Ra’s to a chamber not far from Tim’s. Tim hovered as the doctors moved around him, calling to each other. Nyssa laid a hand on his shoulder, though whether she was trying to comfort him or herself, Tim wasn’t certain.

 

After an age, one of the doctors came over to them. Tim looked up fearfully. “Is he--?”

 

“We have him stable for now,” the doctor said.

 

“What’s wrong with him?”

 

“Nothing is wrong...he’s simply very old and his time has come. We can keep him alive for quite some time, but…”

 

Tim nodded. “How long?”

 

“A few months...a year if he’s very fortunate and does not exert himself. Whatever time is left will likely be spent right here.”

 

Tim nodded again. “I understand.” He looked past the doctor. “May I sit with him?”

 

“You may.”

 

Tim moved past the team of doctors and sat down beside his mate. He reached out and took Ra’s’ hand.

 

Ra’s’ eyes fluttered. “Beloved?”

 

“Shh,” Tim said. “I’m here.”

 

“They do not think I have much longer.”

 

“I know.”

 

Ra’s managed to grasp his hand. Tim squeezed back, gently. “I’ll be right here,” Tim said. “Just rest.”

 

“No,” Ra’s said. “You cannot shut yourself away to care for an old man. Not when our pack and children need you.”

 

“And tomorrow, I will attend to them. Tonight…tonight, I’ll take care of you.”

 

Ra’s gave a little chuckle. “Stubborn to the end,” he said affectionately.

 

Tim gave a small smile back, though his mind doubted. Stubborn? He had given into Ra’s...become his perfect mate, his good omega...and all it had taken was a few years and a baby before Tim gave up. All it took was a bit of genuine affection before he stopped fighting.

 

And yet…

 

Tim leaned down and kissed Ra’s softly. “It isn’t the end,” he said. “Not yet.”

 

“Timothy…”

 

“Don’t make me mourn you yet.” Tim looked at Ra’s fiercely. “I still have time to save you.”

 

*

 

Tim kept his head high as he walked into the hall alone the next day. No one spoke, no one even moved. The entire League had gathered, the rumors already spreading throughout the world, calling them all back.

 

Tim glanced around the room. Nyssa was standing just behind him, glaring at them all. He spotted Slade, smirking near the back of the room. Tim nodded to a few of the others before he stepped up to the throne.

 

“The Demon’s Head is dying,” Tim announced. Ra’s hadn’t had enough energy to dictate what Tim said, and Tim was beyond caring what he thought. “We are searching for something to save him, even as I speak. Until he is back with us, or until his heir is ready to take over, you will receive your orders from me.” Tim stepped back and sat down in Ra’s throne, trying to look more intimidating than he really was. Most of the assassins looked more amused than impressed, but Tim didn’t care much right now. “So give your reports.”

 

One by one, they stepped up. Tim listened to their reports, gave them instructions, acted as he hope Ra’s would, and prayed that he wouldn’t have to do it for long.


	13. Chapter 13

Tim was exhausted.

 

Ra’s had been ill for nine months. In spite of the doctors’ best efforts--and several of their executions--there had been no improvements. Tim knew it was futile, that there was nothing more the doctors could do for someone Ra’s’ age, but he couldn’t stop trying. He couldn’t.

 

The assassins had had no success, either. Tim had everyone not working a contract searching for an answer, another pit, another way to extend Ra’s’ life, but no one had found anything yet--at least, nothing they were going to share with Tim. Tim suspected that his orders weren’t taken as seriously as Ra’s’ had been, and it wasn’t surprising. Tim may have been the pack omega, but he was an omega, and even though he was now legally a man grown, he was still very young, younger than most of the people he was trying to command.

 

And it didn’t help that Slade was still hanging around.

 

Slade had made no effort to even pretend to be listening to Tim’s orders. He moved around the place like he owned it, like he had already claimed it from Ra’s, his scent starting to permeate every corner of it, talking to the other members of the pack, spreading the rumors about Ezra, turning them against their omega. Tim did his best to keep control of the situation, but there really was very little he could do with an alpha trying to assert his position over the others. He knew Nyssa was doing her best to help keep them in check, but Tim had the feeling that as soon as Ra’s was gone…

 

As soon as there was no one left between Tim and a new alpha…

 

Tim paced the nursery, one of the few places Slade hadn’t already claimed as his own. Trina sat in the rocking chair, watching carefully with Ezra, now two years old, in her arms. Shiloh sat in her tiny chair beside her, sucking her thumb and watching her mother in fear.

 

Finally, Tim turned. “There’s nothing for it,” he said.

 

“Timothy?”

 

“Slade is moving against me. He knows that Ezra...that there was a mix-up with him. The rumors are spreading too fast, and Nyssa can’t keep them in line forever.” Tim looked at his children, tears in his eyes. “Ra’s is dying, Trina. The doctors think he’ll live another month at the most. I can’t...I’m not strong enough to protect them anymore.”

 

There were tears in Trina’s eyes, but she nodded. “What are your orders?” she asked, her voice steady.

 

“Pack our bags,” Tim said. “Mine and Ezra’s. Slade can’t kill Shiloh, and I would rather not take her into the wider world. We leave tomorrow night.”

 

“Will you return?”

 

“Yes,” Tim said. “I will return...there’s still a chance I can regain control here. But until then…”

 

“Ezra will be safer with his father.” Trina rose and handed Ezra to Tim. “I understand.”

 

Tim nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”

 

Trina embraced him fiercely. “I’m sorry,” she said. “For not saving you.”

 

Tim clung to her a moment before he turned and knelt down beside Shiloh. “Shiloh?” he said.

 

She stared at him, blank green eyes wide. “Ez go away?” she asked. In spite of being four years old, she still spoke in mostly broken sentences.

 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Tim said. “But it’s not safe for him.”

 

Ezra started crying. “No!” he shouted. “No go!”

 

“Mama!” Shiloh said. “No!”

 

“Shiloh…” Tim struggled. “Do you want Ezra to be safe?”

 

She sniffled. “Yes.”

 

“And Ezra,” Tim said. “Do you want Shiloh to be sad?”

 

“Shi!” Ezra said, grabbing at his sister.

 

Shiloh launched herself at Tim, clinging to her mother and brother possessively. Tim hugged her with his other arm, crying for his children, wishing that there was a better way to save them.

 

*

 

It felt so strange to be leaving the Cradle.

 

Tim stared out the window as Nyssa flew them out. Six years. Six years since he had been taken off the street and mated to a man he didn’t know. Six years since he had been trapped away from his city, his family...almost all of the outside world.

 

He had barely thought about them in years. His life was so occupied with his mate and children and pack...he had almost forgotten everything he left behind. He couldn’t even remember his parents anymore, beyond a few vague images. It was only with a great deal of effort that he could bring the image of the Batman to his mind, that he could recall what it was like to be a child, that he could think of all the things he used to love.

 

Tim flinched as the sun set on the horizon, bright light striking him. Ezra didn’t seem to like it much either, as he started to cry almost at once.

 

Tim kissed the top of his head. “It’s all right, sweetheart,” he said. “It’s just the sun...it gives us light.”

 

“Mama!” Ezra wailed. “Hurts.”

 

“Only because you aren’t used to it.” Tim glanced at his hands, realizing just how pale they were. How pale he was after six years of never going outside. “And it won’t be as bright in Gotham.”

 

Ezra sniffled and clung to Tim’s neck. “Want Shi,” he said.

 

“I know,” Tim sighed.

 

They fell quiet again. Ezra eventually fell asleep in Tim’s arms, and mercifully stayed that way until Nyssa landed them in Gotham. Tim took a deep breath and stood up, carrying Ezra down and out to the rooftop.

 

Gotham looked...beautiful. The skyline looked the same as the night Tim had left her, but there was something more magical about it. He stared across the rooftops as the sun rose, breathing in the smog and dust of home.

 

_ Home.  _ Tim’s knees buckled a little, realizing that he was home. Back where he belonged, as though he’d never left. He could go back...find his parents, settle back down, never go back to the Cradle and all the pain and confusion it brought him…

 

But no. Even if his parents wanted to see him--and why would they, it wasn’t like they’d paid him any attention before--Tim couldn’t stay. He had to think of Shiloh, and Ra’s, and the pack he was expected to lead. This was just a quick trip. Drop Ezra with Jason and go back.

 

Except, Tim realized as Nyssa took off again to avoid detection, he had no idea where to find Jason.

 

He climbed down the fire escape, Ezra starting to stir, and looked around. He had some money, of course, Ra’s never lacked for that, but he wasn’t sure where to go, who to talk to…

 

Well. There was one place he could try. Even if Jason wasn’t there, Steph might be, or someone who could tell him where either one of them was.

 

Or maybe just someone who could help. Maybe just someone who could be a hero.

 

Tim walked to the main street and hailed a taxi. One stopped, the driver glancing at Tim in consternation as he climbed in with the baby.

 

“Destination?” the driver asked.

 

“Wayne Manor,” Tim said.

 

*

 

Bruce was used to keeping odd hours. His work as Batman often kept him up all night, and his reputation as a party boy meant that no one even blinked if he slept until noon and missed important meetings.

 

He was also used to people coming in and out of the manor at all hours. Steph and Jason never cared much about other people’s sleep schedules, and Dick’s moods changed so much that he would often come home a mere three hours after swearing he never wanted to see Bruce again. Even Damian, in spite of his tender age, had an alarming habit of vanishing in the middle of the night and coming back well into the morning, if he returned that day at all. And as for Alfred, well, someone had to make the manor look respectable in daylight hours. Bruce wasn’t sure if Alfred ever did sleep, but if he did, it was at relatively normal times.

 

But the one hour Bruce was certain nobody in the manor kept was from five to six in the morning, which was precisely when the doorbell rang, shocking Bruce out of his slumber. He groaned and turned over, wondering who would be bothering him at this hour.

 

Dick stirred beside him, sounding just as put-out as he did. “The fuck?” he muttered sleepily.

 

“Probably a lost delivery person,” Bruce muttered. “Go back to sleep.”

 

Dick grumbled and turned over, grabbing Bruce around the waist. Bruce struggled half-heartedly for a moment before he allowed his mate to drag him back. Ever since Bruce’s time away, Dick had been more clingy than usual. Not that Bruce was objecting.

 

Bruce was starting to drift back to sleep when a furious shriek jerked him back awake.

 

Dick sat up at once. “That’s Damian,” he said. 

 

“I know,” Bruce said. “What…?”

 

The door burst open and Damian came stomping in. “Father,” he said. “There is an enemy at the door.”

 

Bruce and Dick were both out of bed at once, scrambling into their clothes. Dick grabbed his spare escrima sticks from under the pillow, and Bruce pulled a batarang from the bedside table before they were both rushing to the stairs.

 

Both stopped when they actually saw their visitor.

 

It was an omega boy, very small and pale, thin and leanly muscled, black hair pulled half back, the rest of it falling all around his face. There was a child in his arms, a very grumpy looking toddler glaring at the world.

 

It took Bruce longer than it should have to recognize the boy. Slightly taller, hair longer, his breasts and hips a bit wider, but Bruce still knew his face. Still saw it in his dreams, still held it in his mind as penance.

 

Dick, however, just looked confused. “Damian?” he whispered. “Who is that?”

 

“His name is Timothy Drake,” Damian whispered back. “His is my grandfather’s mate.”

 

Bruce set the batarang aside. “I don’t believe we need weapons,” he said.

 

“Bruce, if he’s with Ra’s…”

 

Bruce shook his head and walked down the stairs.

 

Timothy Drake turned and met Bruce’s eyes at once. “Mr. Wayne,” he said. “I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

 

Bruce shook his head. Six years. Six years since he had turned his back on the boy, since he had condemned him to die in Ra’s’ house. And now…

 

Timothy didn’t look sick, exactly, but he certainly didn’t seem healthy. Too pale, dark circles under his eyes, far too thin. The child in his arms looked healthy enough, at least, but Timothy…

 

Timothy looked absolutely wretched, a pale ghost of who he used to be. A shadow of the boy Bruce had failed to save.

 

“What brings you here?” Bruce finally asked.

 

Timothy swallowed. “I didn’t know where else to go,” he said. “I...I need help.”

 

Bruce nodded. “Please...sit down.”

 

Timothy took a seat, the child squirming in his arms. Bruce was studying the child closely. His face was familiar as well, and not in the way Timothy’s was, not exactly.

 

Timothy took a deep breath. “Ra’s al-Ghul is dying,” Timothy said. “He doesn’t have long to live and...and we’re out of options.”

 

“The Lazarus Pit?”

 

“Dried out,” Timothy said. “To save me...and our daughter. We haven’t found another one. Deathstroke is already moving...he’s already trying to sway the pack to follow him. And since he’s the strongest alpha there...they probably will.”

 

“So have you come for sanctuary?”

 

“Not for myself,” Timothy said. “But Deathstroke has made threats against my son.” He nodded to the boy. “So...I need to turn him over to his father.”

 

Bruce blinked. “Ra’s isn’t…?”

 

“It was...complicated,” Timothy said. “Ra’s and I could pass him off as ours for a while, but...I can’t hide it from the others anymore. They won’t follow him, even when he’s grown...and that’s assuming Slade doesn’t kill him to secure his power.”

 

Bruce nodded, studying the child closer. “So…”

 

“I need to see Jason,” Timothy said. “And I didn’t know where else to look.”

 

Bruce sighed. “I wish I did,” he said. “But...we’re not exactly on speaking terms.”

 

Timothy looked down, clearly fighting tears. “I can’t…”

 

“But I can take the child,” Bruce said. “At least until Jason comes home. We can keep him safe...and you as well.”

 

Timothy shook his head. “I have to go back,” he said. “I can’t leave my daughter to Slade’s mercy...and…” He struggled a moment, tears falling now. “Ra’s is...I know what he did to me was wrong. I know I was too young, and I know that...that I shouldn’t have been trapped with him that way. But...he was kind to me, in his way, and...I can’t let him die alone.”

 

Bruce nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have…”

 

“There’s nothing you could have done,” Timothy said. “The moment Nyssa got away...he didn’t even ask my name before he mated me. And...and I was in no state to fight him. Even if you’d followed her, you couldn’t have saved me.” He looked down at the child and nuzzled his hair. “And...I love my pups. I’ve found my place in his pack...I am their omega, however briefly that may last. And I know you don’t...I know it’s wrong. But I love him.”

 

They were silent for a long moment before Bruce sighed again. “How long will you stay?” he asked.

 

“Just long enough to get him settled,” Timothy said. “A few days at the most...if that’s okay.”

 

“It is,” Bruce said. “I’ll try to keep Damian from attacking you.”

 

“I can handle Damian,” Timothy said. “But maybe don’t tell his mother we’re here.”

 

Bruce laughed hollowly. “I’m not speaking to her, either” he said. “But would you like anyone to know that you are here? Your parents, maybe?”

 

Timothy opened his mouth for a second before he shook his head. “I...it’s better if I don’t see them,” he said. “But...could you tell Steph I’d like to see her?”

 

“I can certainly do that.”

 

*

 

Steph hugged Tim extremely tightly the moment she walked in the door. Tim hugged back. “I’m glad to see you,” he said.

 

“Same,” Steph said. “Especially since you aren’t pregnant and I can actually hug you.”

 

Tim laughed a bit. “Worth the wait,” he said.

 

Steph nodded and pulled back. “So...Ezra?”

 

Tim nodded back. “Needed to get him out...don’t suppose you could keep Deathstroke busy for a few years?”

 

“Few weeks, maybe,” Steph said. “Maybe a couple months...not long enough for you to take real control, though.”

 

“Worth a shot,” Tim said. “Can I at least give a briefing?”

 

“I’ll arrange a meeting,” she promised. “And where is the little prince, anyway?”

 

“Having a nap,” Tim said. “It was a long flight, and he’s in a strange place...he wore himself out screaming this morning.”

 

“What did you do?” Steph asked, following Tim upstairs to the hastily set up nursery. 

 

“I handed him to Grayson for ten minutes to take a shower. Immediate meltdown.”

 

“Maybe I’ll have better luck,” Steph said. “It’s faded, but we do have a slight familial bond.”

 

“I was hoping Jason would get here.”

 

Steph shook her head. “I don’t know where he is any more than Bruce does. With our luck, he’ll come waltzing in in three months and get a nasty surprise.”

 

“And unfortunately, I don’t have three months.”

 

“Tim…”

 

“I already told Mr. Wayne...I can’t abandon Shiloh. And she wouldn’t be safe out here.”

 

“I know.” Steph stepped over to the bed where Ezra slept. “He’s beautiful, Tim...and...Bruce may be an ass sometimes, but I know he will care for him.”

 

“I know...I trust him.”

 

*

 

Tim knew that briefings probably did not usually take place in the parlor of Wayne Manor, but Mr. Wayne had yet to allow him into the Batcave (even though Tim knew it was there) and Steph couldn’t get authorization to hold it at Mount Justice.

 

Which was why Tim found himself facing down four young heroes in a small room where all of their scents were too strong to ignore.

 

At least, that was what he kept telling himself. Steph, he could deal with. He was used to her, bonded to her. She was safe.

 

And the tiny omega speedster was okay too. Energetic, sure, but too young to register as a rival of any sort to Tim, clearly out of his depths, nothing to worry about.

 

The two alphas, though…

 

The girl smelled sharp, too strong, intimidating. Tim flinched away from her at once, sort of fading behind Steph. She wasn’t safe, even as she tried to make herself look less threatening.

 

And the boy…

 

Tim’s mating mark was already tingling with the knowledge that his mate would be gone soon. His nose was sharper than before, already seeking out a replacement. He had missed his last heat due to the stress, and he was starting to go a little stir crazy after six years of frequent sex followed by nine months of celibacy.

 

And the alpha boy with the S on his chest smelled heavenly. So strong. So powerful. But not threatening like Slade, or the girl. He smelled like security. He smelled like safety.

 

The alpha’s eyes met Tim’s the moment he entered the room. They stayed locked for several minutes, even as Steph started talking.

 

“Impulse, Wonder Girl, Superboy,” she said. “This is Timothy Drake. He needs our help.”

 

That did snap Tim out of his reverie for a moment. “Thank you for coming,” he said. He pulled himself to his full height, taking on the persona of the omega of Ra’s al-Ghul’s pack. “I need Deathstroke to be kept busy for a while. I know you hero types don’t kill, but if you could...inconvenience him, that would be appreciated.”

 

Superboy didn’t blink, still staring at Tim. “Why do you need him inconvenienced?”

 

“He’s trying to take my pack,” Tim said. “My mate is...unwell. Our children are threatened. Deathstroke will do everything he can to find and kill my son, and I can’t let him have the chance. If...if you could keep him distracted until my son has bonded with the people here to blend in...that would be enough. And I’ll pay.”

 

“We don’t do this for money,” Wonder Girl snapped.

 

Tim shrank back as her scent spiked, but Superboy laid a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Easy, Wonder Girl,” he said. He looked back to Tim with a small, reassuring smile. “Inconveniencing Deathstroke isn’t a problem. And we’ll be happy to help an innocent pup.”

 

“Thank you,” Tim said. “I can tell you where he’s supposed to be for the next few weeks...if he gets slowed down, it’s not my fault.” He winked at Superboy, who smiled back at him.

 

“Sounds fun,” he said.

 

“I hope so,” Tim said, his voice lowering a bit.

 

Steph kicked him. “Stop flirting and give us the briefing.”

 

Tim yelped and Superboy went red, but they settled quickly and got to work.

 

*

 

Ezra clung to Tim tightly. Tim hugged his pup back and kissed his forehead.

 

“No go,” Ezra sniffled. “Ma no go.”

 

“I have to, sweetheart,” Tim whispered. “I need to go back to Shiloh.”

 

If anything, Ezra clung tighter.

 

“Ezra…” Every second made it harder to let go. To go back to the Cradle, to his dying mate and rebelling pack and all the responsibility…

 

Not for the first time that week, Tim considered Mr. Wayne’s offer. He thought about staying in Gotham, in Wayne Manor, caring for his son, living away from the League of Assassins and all of the pain and memories…

 

But he knew he couldn’t. Even if he did leave, someone would find him. Someone would drag him back, or try to kill him, and…

 

And that was it. Tim had his place, and he just needed Ezra to have his.

 

Steph stepped up and managed to pry Ezra away from Tim. Ezra started shrieking at once, grabbing for Tim. “Ma!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Tim said. “I’m so sorry…”

 

“You can always come back,” Steph said. “Bruce will let you...or you can come to me. Whenever you want.”

 

Tim nodded and gave Ezra one last kiss to the cheek. “I will come back someday,” he said. “Either when Deathstroke isn’t a problem or...or when I can’t hold on any more. But I can’t…”

 

“I know.” Steph gave Tim a small, sad smile. “And Young Justice will help you. In any way we can.”

 

Tim nodded. “Thank you.” He turned and left the manor.

 

“MA!”

 

He looked back, tears in his eyes, and blew a kiss to Ezra. Ezra kept screaming, even as Steph waved him away. Tim took a deep breath and walked away.

 

Nyssa was waiting on a rooftop, the helicopter ready. “We don’t have much time,” she said. “The doctors say...he’ll be gone in the next two days.”

 

Tim nodded. “Then let’s go...I’m finished here.”

 

*

 

Tim entered the room slowly, almost hesitantly. Ra’s’ eyes were closed, his breathing ragged. Tim knelt beside him and took his hand.

 

Ra’s’ hand twitched. “Timothy?” he gasped, not opening his eyes.

 

“I’m here, my love.”

 

“The children?”

 

“Safe...they’re both safe.”

 

Ra’s’ hand twitched again. “I fear...my time is over.”

 

Tim nodded. “I’m sorry.”

 

“No,” Ra’s said. “You...you have done well.”

 

Tim leaned over and kissed him one more time. “I love you,” he whispered.

 

Ra’s’ lips moved for barely a second before his breath rattled and his hand went limp.

 

Tim stared for a moment, his mating mark burning. Ra’s looked so...small. Old. Frail.

 

Tim bent his head, the tears coming fast and hard. He stayed there, sobbing, even as the doctors closed his mate’s eyes and covered him with the sheet. There was a hand on his shoulder and Tim grasped for it blindly.

 

“Orders?” Nyssa sounded hoarse, clearly forcing herself not to cry.

 

Tim swallowed several times before he stood up. He glanced around and found Ra’s’ cape laid across one of the chairs. He picked it up and inhaled his mate’s scent for a moment before he put it on, ignoring that it was far too long on him.

 

He turned and nodded to Nyssa. She nodded back and turned, walking ahead of him through the halls until they reached the main room, where the rest of the pack had gathered.

 

Tim stepped up before them. His scent had already changed, marking him a widowed omega. Marking him the leader of the pack.

 

“Ra’s al-Ghul is dead,” he announced. “Until his heir has come of age, you will answer to me.” He turned and sat down on the throne, his omega scent moving through the room.

 

It smelled of grief, and pain, and loss. It smelled of love and hope and youth.

 

Tim’s eyes hardened as the alphas shifted.

 

He smelled of power. He smelled like their leader.

 

Tim nodded and the assassins stepped up one by one to greet their ruler.


End file.
